How you remind me
by Iruviene-san
Summary: Sakura wasn't weak because she lacked strenght, she just needed to be left on her own. As she discovered the truth about herself, Sakura made new friends, created new bonds and fought new battles. What if she met the people who abandoned her once more?
1. Chapter 1

**This is my first published fanfic, so I hope you enjoy!**

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><p>Something was really bothering me that morning. As I walked by, people started whispering many things, such as "Have you heard, she's too weak to go with them" and other not so nice stuff. As I arrived at the Konoha main gate ,where all the Rookie 12 (except for me) were gathered waiting for the time of departure, I greeted everyone, wished them good luck for their mission and said my farewells. Ino decided to start mocking me.<p>

"Hey, forehead girl, seems like I'm going on a mission with Sasuke-kun and you're not! You're too weak to go! And we all know that a great shinobi like Sasuke-kun deserves a great kunoichi like me. Seems like you're being left behind!" Then I snapped.

"You know, Ino-pig, only the weak kunoichis have that kind of stupid obsession for a guy, just like you have that obsession for that shit-for-brains Uchiha!" I told her.

"How could you say that?" She asked "He's you teammate!"

"Well, he hasn't done much for me to like him even the slightest bit, so..." I answered her, expecting her reaction.

"WHAT THE HELL HAPENNED TO YOU?" She asked "You used to like everyone. What made you like this?" She asked again.

"Well, Ino-pig, things have changed. First of all, all of you left me behind. And second of all, you can't see anything, no matter how hard I try to show you." I answered her

"See what?" She asked, perplexed

"Exactly. If you wanted to know, you should have looked harder and deeper. It's too late now. Good luck with your mission, whatever it is." And with that I left.

My heart ached as I headed to the library. I was surprised with myself for being able to say those things to Ino, but I knew that she was as despicable as the people who were calling me weak right in front of me. Who were they to talk about me, they knew nothing about me. When I got to the library, I went to the "Clan's kekkei genkai" section and looked for the Meian (Light and Darkness) Clan. I've discovered a while ago that that was my real clan, and that there was an amazing kekkei genkai with it. After 3 minutes looking all over that section, I finally found what I had been looking for. It was an old book with an aged green cover called "The Meian Clan Secrets". I checked it out and headed home to start reading it.

When I got home, I headed to my room and started reading the book. The opening note was like this: "If you're reading this book, it means that you are a part of the few people of the Meian clan that possesses the Hikari (Light) abilities. If you had the Yami (Darkness) abilities, you would not be able to read this book. Every single member of the Meian Clan can control an element without chakra, no matter their type of abilities. You can learn more about elemental techniques in the next chapters. If you which to know more about the prophecy child, just read the next lines, where I will tell you about her. The legend says that, when there are dark times upon the world, a female baby with Hikari abilities, pink hair and green eyes will be born to bring peace to the world. To do so, this child will have the power to master all of the Elements (Fire, Water, Wind, Earth and Lightning) and some combined elements, such as Sand and Wood."

The look on my face as I read this was pretty much a look of amazement. I knew I had a lot of power, but I never knew I had so much! Then I made a decision. I was going to ask Tsunade-sama to let me go outside the village for training for 2 years and a half. With that decision, I walked out of my house and to the Hokage Building. When I got there, I knocked on the door and waited for Tsunade's "Enter", that eventually came, followed by the door opening and me getting in. "What is it, Sakura?" Tsunade asked, with a cleary tired voice.

"I was wondering if you would allow me to go outside the village for training for approximately 2 and a half years." I said.

"Where did that come from?"

"I found a...secret about myself that I would like to explore and learn more about." I answered.

"And that secret is?" I hesitated at her question and she noticed. "If you don't want to tell me, you don't have to. You can do as you wish, but, please, be careful and don't get hurt. I don't want Kakashi bothering me about you getting hurt." She said, too my surprise.

"With all due respect, Tsunade-sama, I don't really care about Kakashi anymore." I said coldly

"It's understandable, but you should give him the benefit of doubt." Tsunade advised me.

"I'm really sorry, but I'm afraid I've reached my limit." I stated

"Ok, then. You are dismissed. Good luck with your training." She said

"Thank you, Tsunade-sama. See you in 2 years and a half." And with that I left.

**2 and a half years later**

Everyone stared at me when I was entering the village. My training away from village was complete, I was back and stronger than ever. My outfit was now composed of a long-sleeved fishnet top under a black sleeveless tank top, with ninja shorts and a sleeveless black cloak that went all the way down to my knees. My hair as long again, already reached my lower back. I also had a new team, called "Elemental Squad", composed by me, Irashi (water), Norak (fire), Kari (lightning), Soka (air) and Narou (earth). Irashi has long blue hair in a loosened ponytail and dark blue eyes, Norak has short fire red hair and almost midnight black eyes, Kari has shiny silver hair and blue eyes, Soka has almost white hair and light purple eyes and Narou has spiky brown hair and brown eyes. They are all Meians like me and we are really close friends, just like brothers and sister. In fact, I thought of them mostly like "my boys" and they thought about me as "their girl". It was the way it was and it has worked since the first time we got together as a team. I was deep in thought when an ANBU appeared in front of us.

"The Godaime requests your presence immediately. The rest of your squad must come too." He told us.

"We'll be there right away." I answered him, nodding to my boys so they would follow me.

When we got there, we found Tsunade almost drowning on a stack of paperwork.

"Oh, Sakura, you're here!" she greeted me

"Hi, Tsunade-sama, what is it that you want from us?" I asked

"I'm sorry to bother you on your first day back, but the rest of the Rookie 12, now Konoha 12, aren't achieving the desired results, so I would like you and your Squad to go and help them out." She explained

"So you're telling me that they are failing their mission and that you want us to go help them?" I asked, incredulous.

"That's exactly what I'm saying." Tsunade stated

"We'll take it!" I said, enthusiastically

"Sakura, are you sure?" Kari, our sensei, asked

"Yes, I am. It'll be alright." I assured him

"The others will be in Snow Country, camped near Rainy Village. You're mission will be explained to you by the others when you get there. You're dismissed." Tsunade said, subtly telling us to get the hell out of there.

"So, we meet in the front gate in 1 hour?" Irashi asked.

"Fine for me." We all said in unison

We packed, met in the gate and took off.

**Rainy village**

"I wonder who's being sent to help us." Naruto said to no one particularly

"I don't even see why Tsunade would send someone to help us. We're doing great." Ino said casually.

"For once, I agree with you, Ino." Sasuke said, while sitting under a tree, his eyes closed. "Would you come out already?" he said, annoyed.

Then Norak showed himself. I coul almost imagine what he was thinking: "This is going to be fun!" I sent chackra to my team tattoo and warned him not to push it too far. He turned slightly to me and smirked. Oh, this was going to get ugly.

"Hey, who're you?" Naruto asked with is loud and annoying voice

"..." no answer from Norak

"Answer me!" Oh, Naruto was getting angry, _I'm so scared_

Then Naruto did the predictable thing: he ran forward and tried to punch Norak. It was time for me to intervene. I ran and stood ahead of Norak, grabbing Naruto's fist, stopping him from touching Norak.

"Sakura, you know this people?" he asked me, incredulous

"Of course I know them, baka, they're my team." I said, as casually as I could

"No they're not! _**We**_ are your team!" he said, clearly shocked

"You should have thought about that 2 and a half years ago." I said, casually as ever

"Sakura, Norak, calm down." Kari ordered

"Come on, sensei, you're no fun!" me and Norak said in unison. "And besides, we're completly calm." I added

I noticed the look on Kakashi's face when he heard me call Kari "sensei". I almost smiled at that. Now, he would suffer like I did.

"So, what's our mission?" Irashi said, breaking the tension

"Our mission is to capture, dead or alive, an Akatsuki member. In two and a half years we hav had a few battles with them, so we know some of their abilities. Uchiha Itachi as the Sharigan, Kisame is one of the Seven Swordsmen of the Mist, Sasori is a puppet master, Kakuzu has 5 hearts, Hidan is immortal, Konan is an origami fighter and Pein has the Rinnegan." Kakashi said.

"What about Zetzu?" Narou asked

"We have not battled him, so we don't know much about his fighting skills." Shikamaru, the strategist, said

"Zetzu is a little bit like a plant. He can multiply himself and divide, between is black part and his withe part. He can also merge with objects, disappearing and hiding inside them." Narou stated.

"And you know this how?" Neji asked

"We battled him, of course." Soka said, as it was the most natural thing in the world

"Hn." Sasuke said. He's really starting to get into my nerves, well, more than usual.

"Sakura!" Narou said, startled

"What is it, Narou?" I asked, concern in my voice. I couldn't remember any time before when he was so startled.

"There are two Akatsuki members heading west, three miles from here. They are camping. It looks like they are Uchiha Itachi and Hoshigaki Kisame." He said, entering fighting mode

"You shouldn't fight with us, we don't know your fighting skills and we are not used to fight with you." Shikamaru stated as Neji agreed with him

"Well, you'll never learn of our skills if you never watch us fight, or will you?" I asked, with a suggestive look on my eyes

"Only you and your friends against my brother and his partner? You will certainly die." Sasuke said coldly

"Oh, believe me, Uchiha, you have no idea what we're capable of." And with my words we took off.

"Sakura, are you sure of this?" Kari asked me

"As sure as I could ever be." I reassured him

"Then I trust you. We should go faster if we want to catch them off guard." He said

"Of course." I turned back. "Yoh, boys, run faster!" I told them

"Yaoh, finally some action!" Norak said, enthusiastically

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><p><strong>I hope you enjoyed and if you have any questions, leave them in your comments! And remember, R&amp;R!<strong>


	2. This is how real ninjas fight!

So this is the second chapter and I hope you enjoy.

Meian Clan - Light and Darkness Clan

Hikari abilities - Light abilities

Yami abilities - Darkness abilities

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><p><strong>Chapter 2 – This is how real ninjas fight!<strong>

**Snow Country, Rainy Village**

Me and my boys were hiding in the shadows, moving to strategic spots and entering the fighting mode. I pressed our teams tattoo, which consisted of the five elements interwined around our wrists, I thought for them to hear: 'Everybody ready?' I asked them in my mind. 'Hai' they all said in unison. And with that, we went out of the shadows and into the clearing were the Akatsuki members were resting.

"Hey there!" I said. "Are you up for a little battle, or am I here wasting my time?" I asked

"Meian Sakura, nice to see you again!" the shark-like ninja called Kisame joked

"Only for you!" I said sarcastically, bowing slightly

"Sakura, what's the plan?" Irashi asked me

"You came here without a plan? Seriously?" Itachi asked, playfully

"Well, we were too busy arguing with your little brother and his little friends to think everything trough, but there's still enough time." I said

Then Kari intervened: "Sakura, you can fight Itachi, you're the only one with the required mental strength to fight him. Me and the others will take the swordsman." He ordered

I nodded and said: "Be careful, his sword drains chakra."

He nodded and started fighting along with the others. Me and Itachi stood there, not moving even a finger, just staring at each other. Then he said: "To make this a fair fight I will not use my Sharigan until it is strictly necessary."

"Are you sure you just won't use it because of your illness?" I asked him.

His face remained expressionless but his eyes showed worry and suspicion. "How can you possibly know that?" he asked me

"Well, I could say that I know everything, but as I'm not your little brother, I'll just say that I heard it from a little bird." I answered playfully

"Should we start?" he asked me politely

"Of course." I answered him, like it was the most natural thing in the world. Then he started by making the fireball jutsu. I smirked, held out my hand and as the fireball was about to hit me, it split in two and disappeared in the thin air.

"You call that a fireball?" I asked, joking. Then I rubbed my hands against each other, snapped the fingers of my right hand above my left palm, creating a small flame in my hand. Then I turned to a small bush, blew the small flame towards it and set the bush on fire. I then pulled a part of the fire to my hands and stated to move them to amplify the flames. When it had a satisfying size, also known has bigger than Itachi's fireball, I did a 360º spin without hands and feet, throwing it Itachi's way. "_That_ is a fireball!" I said victoriously. Amazingly, he was hable to dodge it.

"I believe that the time to activate my Sharigan has come." Ha said, with an hard look. I smirked at that. It was going to be fun. As I stared into Itachi's eyes, the whole world started spinning and I found myself reviewing that day, when all the Konoha 12 except for me where getting ready for their ultra-special mission, without me. I smiled a wicked smile and said to no one in particularly: "If you think that that is my worst nightmare, you are terribly long." And then everything changed. It was the night of the Uchiha massacre, and I watched as Itachi moved around, killing every single member of his clan. I had a sad look on my face as I watched it.

"Kai!" I said, breaking the gengutsu. "You don't have to keep blaming yourself for that, it was not your decision to regret." I said, a little bit harshly

"What do you know about that?" he asked me, startled

"I konow enough and I don't plan on letting your brother know about it." I answered, seeing the thankful look on his eyes.

"It was an honor to fight you, Meian Sakura, I hope we can carry on in the future." Itachi said, disappearing in the thin air, along with Kisame. A few minutes later, I realized why they left in such an hurry. The rest of the Rookie 12, now Konoha 12, was arriving to the battle field.

"Man, it took us a while to find us. It was almost like you didn't even used chakra!" Kiba said, while me and my boys just stared at each other, almost bursting into laugh.

"OMG! You didn't use chakra?"

"Of course not, why would we?" Narou asked as it was the most useless question in the world.

"Maybe because chakra is every ninja's fuel?" Tenten asked/answered sarcastically. Then we burst into laugh.

"What's so funny?" Sasuke asked with a confused look on his face

"We are what they call real ninjas. The ultimate weapon, the ninjas who will never run out of chakra. This is how real ninjas fight. This is how _we_ fight." Soka explained, wisely for once in his life.

"How come that be?" a really septic Neji asked

"Our clan's kekkei genkai allows each and everyone of us to control an element without using chakra." Kari explained

"By 'our clan's' you mean yours, Soka's, Norak's, Narou's and Irashi's clan, right?" Ino asked

"No, he means 'our clan', including me, him, Soka, Norak, Narou and Irashi." I said, running out of patience

"So, you are all Haruno's?" Naruto asked, trying to figure everything out

"Yeah, that's a way of putting it." Irashi said, ending the conversation. I could swear I saw Shikamaru and Kakashi exchanging a look that meant: 'They are lying.'

With that, we took off to our camping site, I had a worried look on my eyes and my face was expression-free.

As we got to the camping site, me and my boys went to set our sleeping bags while Kakashi and Shikamaru where nowhere to be found. I could imagine what they were doing: figuring out ways to get the information about me and my boys out of me. They could try as hard as they want; I won't tell them even the slightest piece of information! I smirked at that thought. I would show them how strong I became, _without their help_. It would be a taste of my "revenge". Whatever they were planning on it wouldn't work. I almost felt victorious in anticipation.

With that thought, I pulled out my book (Called '100 ways to mess with a boy') and started reading, while my boys were playing cards and telling jokes. They didn't even talked to me, most likely because they knew I wouldn't answer them, but this time I probably would. I was to disturbed by my thoughts about what kakashi's and Shikamaru's plan woul be to pay attention to the book, so I just pretended to be reading it so they would leave me alone with my thoughts. What was really bugging me was that I had no control over the situation, well, at least for now.

Then, Kakashi and Shikamaru walked out of the shadows, thinking they wouldn't be noticed, with a victorious look on their eyes. Oh, this was going to be great, well at least for me, 'cause I guess it wouldn't be great for them to feel the dissolution of a failed plan.

**19:35 pm**

"Kakashi-sensei, I'm hungry!" Naruto said as his stomach growled

"And why are you telling me that?" Kakashi asked, his eyes glued to his book all the time. Oh, I hated that book.

"Because you're my sensei, you should take care of me!" Naruto said indignantly

"Yeah, but I'm not your personal cooker! Why don't you ask Hinata to do it? Or even Sasuke?" Kakashi said, still glued to his book. Well, I guess I should be reading mine, so…

'Page 26 – Pranks

The basics:

For a boy, a girl who knows out to prank and make fun of him is the type of girl they instantly become attracted by. This means that boys like powerful and not interested gir-'

"Hey, Sakura-chan, why don't you cook tonight?" Naruto asked me, enthusiastically

"Whatever, want do you want to eat?" I asked, my eyes in my book, not really paying him attention.

"RAMEN!" Naruto shouted

"Fine for me" all the others said in unison

"Okay then." I said, in a bored tone, as I headed over to the food bag, taking out 6 packs of ramen. I headed over to the fireplace, place a pot filled with water over it and sent the ramen inside. Then I held my hand out and started to close it. As soon as my hand turned into a fist, the food was ready.

"Help your selfs." I said, as everyone stared at me

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><p>So, I hope you enjoyed and don't forget, R&amp;R!<p> 


	3. Chapter 3

**Chapter 3 – Funny thing to happen to a guy named Rakki (Lucky)**

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><p><strong>Snow Country, Rainy Village<strong>

**Next morning**

I woke up really early that morning, the sun wasn't even in the sky. I had been having troubles sleeping, I had to take one of my own sleeping pills to force myself into sleep, but the effect never lasted long. I knew I wouldn't be able to go back to sleep, so I sat up, took my book of and started reading again.

'…boys like powerful and interested girls, who are strong and brave enough to challenge them. One of the easiest and funny pranks to pull is the "Permanent Ink" prank. You just have to set a can of a fluorescent, permanent painting ink and then wait for the boy to open the door. The most funny part of this prank is that moment, about 2 and a half months after you pulled the prank, when the guy is still walking around with fluorescent dots of ink. You can als-'

"What are you reading?" Kakasi asked from behind be

"A book." I answered casually

"What is it about?" he asked me

"Stuff." I said, seeming uninterested

" I got that, what I would like to know is what kind of stuff are written in a book called '100 ways to mess with a boy'" Kakashi asked again, sitting next to me

"Why would you want to know?" I asked him, still pretending to read the book

"Just out of curiosity." He simply answered me

_**Kakashi's POV**_

I was a bit nervous when I sat next to her. I really wanted to know what that book talked about, mostly because I couldn't imagine my sweet little Sakura flirting with boys. My talk with Shikamaru yesterday gave me a lot to think about.

_Flashback_

Me and Shikamaru went to a part of the forest where no one back on the camp could hear us. Then Shikamaru started talking.

"Something is really off about her. About all of them. And we need to find out what and why." He said

"What do you have in mind?" I asked him, waiting to her a genius plan

"For now, I think we should only try to hear their conversations, take conclusions and then decide what to do." He said

Only that? Really? Are you kidding with me? The best strategist ever born is really telling only to try eavesdropping on their conversation? Am I going deaf?

"Relax, Kakashi." Shikamaru said, smirking. "For now, it's all we can do. I could think of another ways to get the information but, after all, Sakura is one of ours special persons." He explained

I was really relived. Thank God Shikamaru wasn't going dum. With that we headed back to the camping site. As we got there I looked around for Sakura. Ah, there she was reading her book. Wait a minute…she's pretending! She's just pretending to read it so she won't be bothered! And possibly to secretly watch the others. She's really grown, and beautiful, and strong…Then it hit me. She became who she is without me to help and guide her! That was my strongest regret, among all the other ones that happened in the past…And I would never stop blaming myself for leaving her behind.

_End of Flashback_

"So, I heard you are getting a new genin team when you get back to Konoha." She casually said, while I was deep in thought. Is Sakura trying to create a small-talk?

"Well, not anymore. Why do you as-" I was cut off by her

"Why?" she asked me

"Why what?" I asked her, confused

"Why aren't you getting a new team?" she asked me, eyes glued on the book, not really paying attention to it

"Because you're back in the game, I guess." As I said that, I could swear that I saw a hint of guilt in her eyes

"Was it your decision or was it Tsunade's?" she asked me, now looking forward into the woods

"Mine." There it was the guilt again, but now there was also regret in her eyes. "Why do you ask?"

"Well, I figured you could end up with a nicer team this time." She said casually

"What do you mean?" I asked, confused, again

"Last time you got a team you ended up stuck with a dumbass, a psycho and an annoying little girl, remember?" she said, a little playfully

"Oh, they weren't that bad. And they ended up being 3 of the strongest ninjas of their generation." I said, indirectly complimenting her

"I bet you couldn't see that coming 2 and a half years ago, or could you?" she said, with a little bit of disregard

Then I did something that I didn't even think myself capable of. I took her face in my hands and forced her to look at me. Then I said: "Sakura, you have to understand that we only left you behind to protect you, not because we thought of you as the weak link." I told her. Then she smiled a sarcastic smile.

"That didn't turn out really well, did it, Hatake-san?" she said, freeing herself from my grip, running deep into the forest. I tried to follow her but she was too damn fast. How come she became so fast? When I finally catch up with her, she was standing in the middle of a clearing, her eyes closed.

"Sakura?" I called her

"You now, in this exact same clearing, 3 weeks ago, I was caught in a battle between me, Kari Orochimaru and someone I held very dearly in my heart. His name was Rakki, but everyone called him Lucky." She started

"Why 'Lucky'?" I asked her, really curious

"Because that was what his name meant. We were fighting and we almost killed Orochimaru. But right after Orochimaru ran away, he collapsed. Rakki had a blown-force trauma on his head and a ruptured lung, from a kunai he took for me. Funny thing to happen to a guy named Lucky, don't you think?" she joked "Kari was poisoned and had many kunai buried in his flesh. I tried to heal Rakki to at least a stable state before travelling but I couldn't. He died because I wasn't able to save him. The closest safe city was about 9 miles away from here. I couldn't get there when he was like he was, so we went underground. Kari was poisoned with a slow-acting poison, wet it was very dangerous. There weren't sufficient plants for me to make him an antidote, but I still managed to slow the action of the poison. The first time I went outside of the small cave I made, I took Rakki's body and put him inside that tree over there, along with a Jutsu that will forever preserve his body." She said, pointing at a tree in front of her. "The one who leaves their friends behind is worst than trash, right?" she said, slightly looking towards me. "When Kari was a little better, we went back to our village. A week was needed for us to be able to walk again." She said, finishing her story

"Why are you telling me this?" I asked her, surprised by her outburst

"To show you that leaving me behind wasn't the best option for keeping me safe." She said, as if it was the most natural thing in the world. Then she closed her eyes and her right hand started glowing. When the light coming from her hand died out, a flower was placed in her hand, interconnected with her fingers. It was a beautiful lotus-flower, colored in shades of blue. She stepped forward and placed the flower resting against the tree. She turned away from the tree, her eyes closed with a sad and guilty look on her face.

"Sakura, Rakki didn't die because of you. He died because Orochimaru tried to hurt you. He died to protect someone he loved." I said, trying to calm her down

"BUT I SHOULD HAVE SAVED HIM!" She yelled at him, snapping

"You did what you could, now stop blaming yourself for that. It wasn't your fault!" I said, running to her and taking her in my arms

She froze in her place and then I realized what I had done. As I was starting to pull away, she hugged me back, burying her face in my chest. After what seemed the happiest 5 minutes of my life, she pulled away, whispered a 'thank you' and ran off into the woods, most likely back to the camping site.

I just stood there, thinking of what I had just done. It couldn't be happening, I couldn't allow myself to do that. I couldn't get involved with Sakura. I couldn't do that to her.

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><p>So, this chapter is an introdution to the KakaSaku chapters. Hope you enjoyed! And remember, R&amp;R!<p> 


	4. Complications are complicated

****So, this is the chapter where "everything" starts happening. Lovers of KakaSaku, this on is for you!

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><p><strong>Chapter<strong>** 4 – ****Complications**** are ****complicated**

**Border of Snow Country**

**19:47 pm**

It was raining; again. For the third time today, I was cursing under my breath not very nice things, as my hair got soaked; again. Why the hell did I have to have such a long hair?

"I bet you're regretting your long hair already, Forehead." Ino said, playfully

"Look who's talking!" I said, a great comeback if you ask me

"But I have to look good for Sasuke-kun, what's your excuse?" she asked me, as I faced her perplexed. What a crappy excuse!

"First of all, Ino-pig, what you just said isn't even an excuse. And second of all, I have long hair because** I** like long hair." '_And it's a good way to hide your emotions'_, I completed in thought

"Then you're completely not interested in Sasuke-kun?" she asked me, a serious look on her face

"_Me_ interested in _that_ asshole? You got to be kidding me!" I said, perfectly hiding my susprise

"Sakura, don't call him that!" she demanded

"But if that's what he is, what should I call him?" I asked her

"I don't know, maybe Gorgeous, or Charming, or Greatest Shinobi Alive, all of those will do." She said with loving eyes. I noticed Shikamaru's look of disappointment and shoot him a glance that said '_I will change her mind, do not worry.'_ In return he gave me a look that clearly said _'Thank you'_ I smiled at him and returned to paying attention to Ino. She was rambling about the past 2 and a half years and some other things like that. I pulled out my book, figuring that it was a better occupation of my time to read it than to try paying attention to Ino.

Oh, right, I forgot, we are now travelling towards Land of Lightning, to some little village called Sunshine Village, where there were reports on two Akatsuki members were going to be passing by, in approximately 8 days. If the name described the weather, just like it did here in Rainy Village, I would finally be able to restore my tan. It had really been fainting since I spent almost a week underground and another two weeks in the hospital and then when we got to the sunny Konoha we were immediately sent to a really rainy village, I haven't been able to catch much sun.

To get to Land of Lightning, we would need 3 days if we ran at top speed and without breaks. If we were to rest every 5 hours of running at a fast rate we would need 6 days. We settled that we would run at almost top speed taking breaks every 5 hours. At that rate, we would get to Sunshine Village in 4 and a half days, meaning we would get there 3 and a half days before the Akatsuki members would.

I fell behind while reading my book, with Kakashi running by my side.

"So, what's up?" he asked, trying to create a small-talk

"Nothing much, you?" I asked back, my eyes glued to my book, pretending to read it

"I'm pretty much doing the same thing you are, right?" he asked, moving his eyes from his book to analyze my reaction

"I guess." I said, uninterested, so we kept running and pretending to read our books

"SAKURA-CHAN, WHAT ARE YOU READING?" Naruto shouted/asked me with is loud and annoying voice

"A book, what does it look like to you, dumbass?" I mocked him in a disregarding tone

"Come on, Sakura-chan you don't have to be so mean!" he said with puppy eyes. I hated when people puppy eyed me. I wouldn't be able to tell them to _piss off_ when they were looking at me like that.

"It's a little bit too late for that." I whispered under my breath, only for Kakashi to hear. I didn't realize when my _'anger_' of him had vanished. Maybe this morning? Well, anyway, I couldn't care less, I guess. But if I couldn't care less, why am I thinking about it. Am I going crazy? 'Cause I seriously hope not. If my stressed state was absolutely awful, I can't imagine how terrible my crazy state would be. So, for the sake of Kakash-er-my friends, I really couldn't go crazy.

"Okay people, why don't we stop and set camp for the night?" Kurenai asked/ordered us

"Okay." Was pretty much the answer everyone gave her

"We're almost at the border of Snow Country, right?" Irashi asked, to no one in particular

"Oh, you're not thinking the same thing I am thinking, are you?" I asked him, expectantly. When he gave me our secret smile, I smirked an evil smirk.

"You know I always beat you and always will, right?" I asked him, still smirking

"I don't lose anything trying, do I?" he simply said

"Actually, you pretty much lose your pride, but it is your call." I answered him

"Then shall we?" he asked, politely

"Of course." I said while taking off my cloak and starting to run

**Kakashi's POV**

'_What the hell was that?'_ was the first thing I thought when I saw her and Irashi taking off into the woods

"Hey, hey, Kakashi-sensei, what should we do?" Naruto asked me

"We go looking for them, of course." I answered as casually as I could, but I really wanted to know what she was doing _alone _with that guy

"There is no need to go after them, they do this every time they pass this spot, whether they are here for a mission or for pleasure." Kari explained

"What do you mean by _pleasure_?" Sasuke asked him, suspicion showing on his eyes

"By _pleasure_ I mean holidays, or camping trips, or training trips, things like that. Not anything of what you're thinking." He said, coldly " Me, the boys and you, Sakura's old team, are pretty much alike. We all want to protect her, the only difference between us is that we have always been aware of Sakura's abilities." He said

"What do you mean by _abilities_?" it was Naruto's turn to ask

"You know, if she wanted, she could kill every single one of you with only a snap of fingers." He said, already knowing what their reaction would be. As he said that, everyone in the clearing started to laugh, except for me, Sasuke, Naruto and the rest of her new team

"Sakura, the forever weakling, killing us with a snap of fingers? I'd like to see that!" Tenten said, being followed by everybody's "yeah" and "couldn't agree with you more". But then everybody turned quiet as they saw Sakura coming out of the bushes, with anger, sadness and disillusion showing on her eyes, yet with an emotion-free face

"Be careful Tenten, you don't want to get in my bad side." She warned with a wicked voice

"Then your bad side must be really weak, because I'm 100% sure that you would never hurt me. You don't have the guts." Tenten said.

Big mistake

Sakura closed her eyes, widening her smile. When she opened her eyes, Tenten's clothes were on fire.

"You're lucky that I actually give a crap about what Tsunade thinks of me, otherwise you'd be dead already." She said, turning around and walking into the forest. I gave Tenten a reproachful look and followed Sakura into the woods. Just after a while we all heard a really large BANG!, followed by a BUM! and a BEN! I picked up my pace and ran towards the sound. When I finally reached my destination I was facing a former part of the woods, now an open clearing, with Sakura standing in the middle of it, undaunted and serene.

"Sakura, are you alright?" I asked her

"Why would you care about me? I'm just _the forever weakli-_" she was about to report Tenten's speech, but I cut her off with my masked lips. At first her eyes were wide, but as they slowly closed, she started kissing back. After long, breathless 7 minutes we broke the kiss. Then I realized what I had done.

"Sakura, I-" it was her time to cut me off and it was my time to be surprised, tough I kissed her back rather willingly, wrapping my arms around her, one hand on her waist and the other one on the back of her head, pushing her to me and deepening the kiss. She didn't fight back when I pulled her closer to me, brushing my hand trough her hair, felling how soft it was. I really was high in the clouds. Then she broke the kiss, still staying in my hold, her arms against my chest and her eyes staring right into my face. She somehow managed to pull down my mask after we has our first kiss.

"Sorry, I was running out of air." She said, smiling a true and beautiful smile

"It's alright." I assured her. "You do realize that our relationship isn't going to be easy. There will be complications. It will eventually get complicated." I told her, trying to see if she is as serious about this as I am

"Seriously? I thought that complications were easy and that facilitations were complicated!" she joked. "Of course I know that. But I also know that I want to be with you. And I'll do whatever it takes do so." She said, making me feel like the happiest man in the world. With that thought in mind, I kissed her like I have never kissed someone before: with love.

**Sakura's POV**

OMG! I can't believe I'm actually kissing him. I've never been this happy before. I knew that things weren't going to be easy, mostly because of our age difference…Wait a minute, I have no idea how old Kakashi is!

"Kakashi?" I asked him, breaking our kiss.

"Hm?" he said with his eye still closed.

"How old are you?" I asked him, curiosity overflowing in my voice

"Why do you want to know?" he asked me, his face close to mine, breathing in my sent (a thing that I was also doing, he smelled just like rainforests)

"I was just wondering." I said, his eye was now open, staring deep into mine

"I'm 26" he said, awaiting my reaction

My eyes widened. Kakashi, 26 years-old? I really must be getting crazy

"My hair is silver only because my father passed it to me. I had have this hair color since childhood" he told me

"Oh, I see." I simply said. "By the way, you're really handsome." As I said that Kakashi chuckled. It felt so good to feel his chest vibrate under my bare arms. I've really never felt like this before. It felt wonderfully

"Well, we should really get back to the camping site." He said. He chuckled a little bit more as he watched the frown forming in my face, "Don't worry, I bet that Gai already told Tenten what she needed to hear. She won't bother you again, so you can stop frowning" he said

"It's not that." I said

"Then what is it?" he asked me, curiosity overflowing in his words

"I want to stay here with you." I said, embarrassed. He started chuckling again and pulled me into a kiss and I warmly welcomed his lips on mine, while wrapping my arms around his neck, deepening the kiss.

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><p>Hope you enjoyed! And remember R&amp;R!<p> 


	5. Introduction to Blood Bending

****So, here's another chapter, which I hope you enjoy

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><p><strong>Chapter 5 – Introduction to Blood Bending<strong>

**2 days later**

**Sunshine village, Land of Lightning**

We were hiding in the shadows of some really tall trees, waiting for the Akatsuki members to show up. Kari, Shikamaru and Kakashi calculated the exact place where the Akatsuki would be passing by, so there we were, just waiting for them. Kakashi was standing at the other side of the clearing, just staring at me. I wasn't really paying him attention, I was already entering my fighting mode. I had my eyes closed and my hands were flat on the tree branch, searching for vibrations. When I got tired, I sent my fist to the tree trunk, felling the resulting vibrations spreading and then…there! I looked at Narou and he nodded.

"They're coming." I said to no one in particular

"How far are they?" Shikamaru asked

"I'd say about 1 mile away, but you should ask Narou's opinion too." I said

"Narou?" Shikamaru said

"I agree with Sakura. At the speed they are running, they'll be here in 1 minutes and 25 seconds." He said analytically

"By their chakras, I'd say that they are Hidan and Kakuzu" I completed, my eyes closed

"I think so too. Hidan and Kakuzu are the immortal ones, right?" he asked me

I opened my eyes to look at him and simply said with an evil grin: "Not anymore."

"Sakura, you're the most suited to fight Kakuzu. Me and Norak will back you up." Kari said

"Hai!" me and Norak answered

"They're coming." Narou said

I immediately got into a fighting stance on my tree branch and waited.

"Yo, Kakuzu, seems like they found us." Hidan shouted at Kakuzu. "That Uchiha kid and his friends are here." He said

"Well, as there is no point on hiding anymore, we might as well come out." Sasuke said, coming out of the shadows

"Be careful, Hidan just needs a little bit of your blood to hurt you." I warned Kakashi, only for him to hear. He smiled and nodded at me

The next moment, Kakashi was already fighting and Kakuzu was charging at us. I got out of the way before is air jutsu could hit me, instantly forgetting about Kakashi and concentrating on the battle.

I used my speed to get behind him, gathering air chakra (I was using chakra so my attacks would be more effective) around my hand and sent my arm down, slicing a piece of his arm of. I watched analytically as black strings came out of his arm, grabbing the piece of flesh I cut had out of his arm and stitching it back into place. That was how he was able to be immortal. Clever.

I used my chakra to "see" the inside of his body, finding five hearts, his own and four more. To kill his fire heart, I would have to use water chakra. To kill his water heart, I would have to use fire chakra, and from that on.

I rotated my hand, pulling water from the ground a concentrating it in a kunai shape. I then froze the water and moved my hand forward, sending the ice kunai flying to Kakuzu, in an amazing speed, causing him to fail at dodging it.

Then Kari steeped in the scene, directing a lighting arrow towards one of Kakuzu's heart, destroying that heart. '_2 down, 3 to go.'_ I thought

Then it was Norak's turn. He took out his Katana and set it on fire. I distracted Kakuzu, making him fall by creating irregularities on the ground, giving Norak a chance to stick the burning sword in one of Kakuzu's hearts.

"It's up to you now, Sakura." Norak said

"Cover me." I simply answered, forming an invisible air needle, pushing it into one of Kakuzu's remaining hearts.

"This one is going to be difficult, I need you guys to make him fall." I said

"How are you going to kill him?" Kari asked me

"I'm going to impale him." I answered as Kari and Norak just nodded

I watched as my boys combined his attacks, Kari sending him a lightning dragon, which Kakuzu dodged, and Norak sending him a fireball, causing Kakuzu to lose his balance. There's my cue.

I put my hand flat on the ground, sending chakra to the ground and directing it towards Kakuzu and then pulled it up. As I pulled my hand up, a part of the ground with a sharp edge rose from it, impaling Kakuzu. It was over

As I turned around to see the other battle, I found myself before a very shocking scenario

All of the Konoha 12 were standing still, staring between Kakashi and Hidan. Hidan was fully transformed, inside his creepy little circle. Kakashi was standing still, multiple wounds decorating his body.

"Pain is such a rush of adrenaline, don't you think?" Hidan said, pulling his dagger up, directing it towards his heart.

**Kakashi's POV**

I already knew what was about to happen. Hidan was going to stick that dagger into his heart, killing_ me_. I closed my eyes and got ready for the pain. I never came. I opened my eyes to see Hidan's dagger floating in the air, 5 inches away from his chest, his eyes wide. I followed his gaze and found a Sakura in a fighting stance, her hand in front of her, trembling, as she moved her body in a really strange way. What was even stranger was that with every move of her body, Hidan's dagger pulled farther and farther away from his chest. When the dagger was a safe distance from Hidan's chest, Sakura pulled her fingers apart from each other and the dagger dropped to the ground.

"Sakura, you have to take him out of that circle." Shikamaru said, realizing what she was doing. She nodded and started to work on getting Hidan out of the circle. I turned to Kari only to see his worried gaze landed on Sakura. I called out for his attention. He figured out what I wanted and approached me.

"What is she doing?" I asked him, concern showing in my voice

"She's doing a thing that no one else in the world can do and that she shouldn't be doing. She is blood bending." He explained me

"Why shouldn't she be doing it?" I asked surprised and concerned at the same time

"Because all the water benders, like her and Irashi, can pull power out of the full moon. Blood bending requires a great amount of chakra and, as we all can see, it's plain day. She must really like you to risk her life like this." He told me

"She can die?" I asked, almost suffocating

"Yes, but I don't think she will. She as too much to lose if she dies. You gave her a reason to live." He said half smiling at me

"How did you figure it out? We've been being really careful." I asked him, curious

"I know Sakura really well and I've never seen her this happy before." He said. I smiled as I turned to watch Sakura. She really was awesome

"Soka, when he's out of the circle dismember him and put him in a bag, so we can take him back to Konoha" she said, determinedly

She then pulled both of her arms close to her body and jumped back, making Hidan step out of the circle. She smirked as Soka used wind blades to dismember Hidan and then collapsed. Me and Kari both run to stand close to her

"IRASHI!" Kari screamed

"I'm here" he said, pouring chakra into her body. "Darn it, Sakura. What did you do?" he said, exasperated

"What is wrong with her?" I asked

"Internal bleeding. She almost blew up her cells." He explained "And the worst of all is that she is already healing."

"How can that be bad?" I asked him, concerned

"Her cells will blow up if she heals herself." He said, searching for something in his backpack. When he found it, he pulled out a small bottle with a really, really shiny water

"Uff." I heard Kari "saying" under his breath

"What?" I asked him

"That water can heal anything. She's going to be ok." He explained. After that I relaxed a bit and watched as Irashi moved his hands, the water moving along and healing Sakura

**Sakura's POV**

**The next day**

**Land of Lightning border**

I woke up lying against something warm. I opened my eyes to see Kakashi's masked face facing forward. For what I could tell, he was carrying me bridal style and we were heading southeast, which means we are heading to Konoha.

"Kakashi?" I called out in a weak voice

"Don't ever do that again, ok?" he ordered, now looking down at me. For what I could read in is one-visible eye, he has been really worried about me

"I won't, if you don't give me reasons to." I answered, leaning my head against his body, taking in his scent. "We are going back to Konoha, aren't we?" I asked him

"Yes, we are." He answered me

"Crap" I cursed under my breath

"What?" Kakashi asked me

"Tsunade is going to make me stay at the hospital." I answered him

"What about it?" he asked me again

"I hate hospitals." I simply answered, closing my eyes and felling his chest vibrations as he chuckled

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><p>I hope you enjoyed! And remember R&amp;R!<p> 


	6. The truth can be complicated

****Here's a new chapter, hope you enjoy! There isn't really anything new, but I thought that Kakashi had to know about Sakura's real identity, don't you think?

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><p><strong>Chapter<strong>** 6 – The truth can be complicated**

**Konoha Hospital**

When l woke up and realized that I was in the hospital, I cursed under my breath, clearly out of exasperation. I rolled to my side and looked for a watch. Oh, there it was, on my bedside table, marking 1 o'clock in the morning. I sat up on my bed, felling every muscle of my body sore, and suddenly I heard movement. I looked in the shadows and found a figure, belonging to a person that I probably waked up. As the figure stepped into the light and I realized that it was Kakashi I instantly relaxed, but of course, I wouldn't let him know.

"What are you doing here Kakashi, its 1 am." I said, falsely upset. He handed me my medical chart and in there was his name scribbled in the 'any time visitors', obviously in Kari's hand writing

"You can stop pretending to be upset, I know you're happy I'm here." He said, smiling victoriously. I looked at him with puppy-eyes and held out my arms. As soon as I did this Kakashi was already next to me, holding me in an embrace that transmitted worry, concern and happiness. A few moments after, we break our hold due to Tsunade's familiar chakra approaching my room. Kakashi went back into the shadows and sat on a chair, pretending to be asleep

"Hey, how are you feeling kiddo?" Tsunade asked me in a low voice, so she wouldn't 'awake' Kakashi

"Just fine, when can I leave?" I asked/answered her

"The first thing that will be done in the morning is your discharge." She answered me, mocking me due to my hate of hospitals. "You know, Kakashi has been here since you checked in. I think is time for you to regret what you said approximately 2 and a half years ago." She said, as I remembered that day.

_Flashback_

It was the day I talked to Tsunade about the decision I made of training outside the village. We were in her office. She had just agreed to let me out of the village for training.

"You can do as you which, but, please, be careful and don't get hurt. I don't want Kakashi bothering me about you getting hurt." She said, to my surprise

"With all due respect, Tsunade-sama, I don't really care about Kakashi anymore." I said, coldly

"It's understandable, but you should give him the benefit of doubt." Tsunade advised me

"I'm really sorry, but I'm afraid I've reached my limit." I stated

_End of Flashback_

As I remembered that day, regret and guilt flashed through my eyes, the same regret and guilt that showed in them the night me and Kakashi were talking in the camping site.

Tsunade left after checking my vitals and replacing the saline solution bag, leaving me alone with my thoughts, tough they would be interrupted only seconds after she left.

"What was Tsunade talking about, Sakura?" Kakashi asked, determined to get the truth out of me

"Nothing." I said, leaning back against my pillows

"It didn't seemed like _nothing_." He continued

"Then I'll specify, it isn't something I like to talk about." I said, starting to lose my temper. Strangely, I couldn't control my mood properly around Kakashi

"Why? Did somebody hurt you?" he asked me. I laughed a little

"Oh, nothing like that. _I_ hurt myself and would possibly hurt you if you were there." I said, wandering. "I regretted it all along my time training. That was how Kari found out about us. I started looking a little bit…relived." I said

"If you don't want to tell me it's alright. I don't mind." He said, making me think

"Ah, you might as well hear it from me than from some other people." I said, giving up. "The day I went to ask Tsunade permission to go training out of the village, she asked me to be careful because she didn't want you bothering her about me getting hurt and I answered with not-such-a-nice-thing. I told her that I didn't care about you." I finally let out, facing my lap, expecting, at least, shouting. I was really surprised when I felt Kakashi's hand on my chin, pulling my face up to make me look at him.

"It's alright. You had all the reasons to think that way. I hope you think differently now." He said, with a penetrating look

"As I said, I've been regretting it for a long time." I said, half-smiling, pulling his mask down and perching on my bed, kissing him.

**The next morning, Konoha's Hospital front lobby**

"SAKURA-CHAN, ARE YOU FELLING OKAY?" Naruto shouted/asked me

"Well, I am, but you won't be if you don't stop shouting at my hears." I said, controlling my temper

"Yare, yare, Sakura-shan, you don't have to be so mean!" Naruto said. Dis he thought that that was my mean personality? He's _terribly_ wrong

"So, Sakura, care to grab a bite with me?" Sasuke asked, for my surprise

"Of course, I don't!" I said, getting the felling that Ino was going to chase him around village when she heard of this. Not like she was even going to get close to my heels!

"Come on children, calm down." Kakashi said from behind us

"Hey, who are you calling children, you old man?" Naruto shouted at Kakashi. Somethings never change.

"Sakura." I heard Soka's voice calling out. I turned to face him and found the rest of my team standing beside him. I headed over to them

"There as been an emergence on _the_ base. Our help was requested." Kari said

"Okay, let's go." I said, felling a little bit sad

"Sakura." Narou said. There was something more

"We told you that we wouldn't be able to stay here forever, that sooner or later we'd have to go away, and the time has come." Irashi said

"But,-" I started

"No _but's_ Sakura, we will go, and that's the end of it. This is where you belong, this village is your home. We could never ask you to leave the people and the places you love for an emergency in our village." Norak said, serious for the first time in his life

"But you're my family," I said, with a shred of hope

"We know, but they are too." He said, pointing towards my old team. "And we'll come to visit you of course and we can even go on trips together, just like old times." Soka said, trying to cheer me up

"Okay then, go and do your obligations." I said, giving up

"Hey, hey, Sakura! I'll always keep a well supplied load for us to blow something up." I smiled at that. Blowing up things really became one of my favorite hobbies

"Good luck. Until forever." I answered, smiling

"Until forever, little blossom." They all said in unison

**Kakashi's POV**

We were walking down the street, heading towards Ichiraku for after-mission ramen and I was trailing behind my _students_, watching Sakura's face, searching for an emotion. Ever since she had that talk with her…team, she had put on an emotionless face and didn't say a single word. I was really getting concern. Something was really upsetting her and I had no means to help her, well, at least not right now with Naruto and Sasuke present. Sasuke…he tried to ask _my_ Sakura out, how dared he? I almost burst into laugh because of the way Sakura turned him down. When we got to the restaurant, I arranged for me to sat next to Sakura and with no one on my other side

"What's going on, Sakura?" I asked her

"My team is leaving." She said, looking straight ahead, being careful not to look at me. "They're going back to Hikari no Mura (Light Village, where the people of the Meian Clan with the rare Hikari abilities lived and were trained)" she completed

"Hikari no Mura?" I asked, incredulous

"I'll explain later." She simply answered

"Hey, hey, Sakura, what are you and sensei talking about?" Naruto asked her

"Stuff." Sakura simply said. I admired her capacity for conversation blocking

"What stuff?" Naruto insisted

"Just stuff." She said "And it's really none of your business." She said, making Naruto frown and shut up

**Later that day**

The sun was almost setting as I trailed trough the rooftops, heading for Sakura's house. I got her '_I'll explain later'_ as a subtle invitation to her house, on not so decent hours. Turns out I was right. As I got there, Sakura was setting the table for two persons. I entered trough the balcony and put my arms around her.

"I thought you weren't going to show up." She said

"And miss the opportunity to see what your room looks like?" I asked, joking. "Never." I said, causing her to laugh

"Well, let's eat then?" she asked/ordered me. As a response, I sat on a chair, waiting for the food to magically appear on my plate-Wait! There is no plate! I looked up at her, confused. As a response to my unasked question, she just snapped her fingers and two plates with food on them appeared in the scene, floating in the air.

"Just a little trick I learned from Soka." She explained. Soka…that reminded me of our conversation at Ichiraku's. She owed me an explanation. She owed me the truth. As I was about to speak, Sakura started talking

"Are you sure you want to know?" she asked me

"I am." I assured her

"You know, the truth can sometimes be complicated." She said, trying to make me give up

"Sakura, do you really thought that I would ask you to tell me something without really wanting to know?" I asked her, telling her that I could take whatever was coming

"A few weeks before you and the others left the village, I accidently set fire to my garden. I was pissed because of me not going with you in the mission and let my temper get on a loose. I then did some research and start suspecting that I might not be part of the Haruno clan. I discovered the name of my clan just one or two days before you left." She said, palying a cliff-hanger. "I then found a book with my true clan's abilities, jutsus and kekkei genkai: a book about the Meian clan." She said, analyzing my reaction. I was surprised that she was part of such a powerful and exclusive clan. I was deep in thought when she started talking again, breaking my chain of thought. "There was also some other thing in that book. Something about me. The book says that I am the prophecy child, destined to bring peace to the world when dark times are upon it." She finished. I didn't saw that coming. I never knew Sakura was so special and powerful. Maybe if I had looked deeper…but there's no time for regrets now. Sakura, _my_ Sakura is meant to be the world's savior. I had only 7 pronounceable words.

"I can't wait to spar with you." Was what I managed to say. And it was true

**Sakura's POV**

I couldn't believe my hears when I heard Kakashi's words. Thank God he wasn't mad at him.

"So, how about we finish eating?" I suggested, breaking the silence

"Good idea." Kakashi said, starting to eat. "Did you cook this?" he asked me. I chuckled

"If you consider putting it in water and letting it boil as cooking, then yes, I cooked it." I joked as he laughed a little

Our night ended up with Kakashi leaving my house trough the balcony at 2 am, after 3 and a half hours of talking, hugging and kissing.

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><p>So, I hope you enjoyed reading as much as I did writing! And remember, R&amp;R!<p> 


	7. Let's make this interesting

****So, sorry for the delay, but I bet you'll find out that it was worth it! (I hope so) I'll give you a heads start: This was probably the biggest chapter I've ever wrote! Hope you enjoy!

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><p><strong>Chapter 7 - Let's make this interesting<strong>

Six days have passed since Kakashi and me had some alone time. I was currently standing on the middle of a former training ground, seeing that now it just looked like it had been through a war. Some trees were burning, others were frozen and some others were shattered.

"I think this is enough for today." I said to myself

"Impressive" I heard a voice from behind me say. Sasuke, of course. I turned around and put my sweetest fake smile on my face.

"Thank you. Tough you must be devastated" I said, starting to make fun of him

"Why would I?" he asked me, confusion showing in his eyes

"Well, now you have no reason to keep calling me weak, do you?" I said in an aloof tone, seeming like I wasn't really there

"But I do" he said, sounding victorious

"Really?" I said, not really interested

"Yes. You still stay sad when others don't recognize your strength." He stated, he's voice as arrogant as ever. I bursted into laughing

"Well, well, well, -it-all, seems like you can't even read emotions properly!" I mocked him

"What?" he said, starting to get annoyed

"You seriously mixed sadness with restraint?" I said, laughing

"What and who were you restraining?" he said, curious

"I was restraining myself from killing Tenten." I simply said

"Why?" he asked – again. Now I'm starting to get annoyed

"Because, as I said, I actually care about Tsunade's opinion about me." I calmly said, begging to lose my patient

"I don't think that id the true reason." He said, suspiciously

"You can think whatever you want, after all, the opinion is yours and the reality is mine. See ya" I said, fading into the trees. He was really starting to get into my nerves. An ANBU with a tiger mask appeared in front of me

"Sakura-san, the Hokage requests your presence." He said, formally

"Ok, I'll be there in a few moments. And you can drop the mask, Kyuro-san" I said

"Sakura, you know I can't do that in service" he explained

"Are you sure that it's just because you dislike me?" I joked

"It's impossible not to like you" he said, ruffling my hair before disappearing

**Hokage Tower**

"Enter" Tsunade answered to my knock on her office's door

"You wanted to see me, Tsunade-sama?" I asked her

"Oh, yes, Sakura, come on in" she warmly said. "I just wanted to congratulate you for the success of your mission." She said as I frowned, suspicion showing in my eyes

"It isn't _just_ that, is it?" I asked her

"Errr, no." she admitted. "As your squad is now dismantled, I thought I could place you back in Team 7" she said as my frown deepened

"Well, Tsunade-sama, although it isn't of my liking, I trust you decided thinking of my best interests." I said politely. Tsunade smiled

"I'm glad you think that way. You're dismissed" she said as I turned around and left. It wasn't until I was far away from the Hokage tower that I expressed my exasperation

"How troublesome." I said

"Trying to steal my catch phrase, Sakura?" Shikamaru asked from behind me

"No really, it's just the only way to decently describe the situation, taking that decently means without blunders." I explained as he started laughing

"What happened?" he asked me

"Tsunade placed me back in Team 7" I said, sounding incredibly bothered

"How come that is bad?" he asked me as I just stared at him, my eyes wide. "Won't you have more time with Kakashi if you're back in his team?" I kept staring at him, my eyes even wider, if that was possible

"H-How do you know about us?" I asked him, frankly curious

"I only had a suspicion, which you just confirmed." He said, smiling. "I'm happy for you two." I raised an eyebrow at that

"Don't you even care about all of those ethics issues and other stuff?" I asked him, suspicious

"The life of a shinobi is short. Having someone to care about works as a motivation to return to the village in one piece." he explained, making complete sense. Now I was sure of the reason of why I risked my life to save Kakashi's.

"So, when did you started having feelings for Ino?" I asked him, seeming uninterested

"We were fighting Deidara and Sasori. I, along with Chouji and herself were injured. I was the worst. As Ino realized my condition, she pulled me out of battle and into the woods. I had already fainted, but Asuma told me that she stayed up, healing me non-stopping, feeding on soldier pills, during 4 days." He told me. My immediate reaction was to think he was crazy by falling for her because of such a banal situation, but then I gave it a second thought. I really wasn't in a position to criticize

"I see. I'll do my best to put her attention on you." I told him. At my words his eyes seemed to lighten up a bit

"Thank you." He said

"You're welcome" I said, smiling a true smile

"I wonder what you two are up to." Kakashi's voice said from behind us

"Oh you know, the usual, such as, last mission, well being and ways to kill Naruto and get away with it." I said playfully as Shikamaru tried to hold back is laughter

"Well, that certainly is productive." He said, smiling under his mask

"With so many people secretly wanting to kill Naruto, I think we would easily get away with it." Shikamaru said, finally starting to laugh, accompanied by me

"If people thought it was me what would you guys do?" he asked us, _us_ also being known as _me_

"We could always blame Sasuke, although I think everyone would consider you made them a favor" I said, making Shikamaru laugh even harder and Kakashi giggle

"Hey, what are you three talking about?" Naruto's voice said, calling out for us. Me and Shikamaru immediately froze in our places while Kakashi just laughed a bit

"N-nothing, Naruto-baka." I said, trying to seem normal

"Then why are you stuttering? Are you embarrassed? Do you have a crush on me and I showed up when you were talking about it with Shikamaru and Kakashi-sensei?" he asked me, hope showing in his face

"KEEP DREAMING ABOUT IT!" I yelled/said, forgetting that we were standing in the middle of Konoha's main street

"You've been spending way too much time with Hinata" Kakashi said, causing Naruto to blush

"W-What are you talking about?" Naruto stuttered, causing me to start grinning in a way that said '_I know what you've been doing'_. It looked a little bit like an evil grin.

"Sakura, do you feel alright?" I heard Shikamaru's voice and snapped back to reality, leaving behind me my fantasy world where I was _wondering_ what Naruto had _exactly_ been doing in the last two and a half years

"I'm just fine, Shikamaru, why do you ask?" I asked him, still half in my fantasy world

"You were looking like you were dreaming of Kak-" he was about to say when I cut him of, placing my hand on his mouth

"I wasn't, and besides, you have no idea of how my face looks like when I dream of that person, and I'd rater keep it that way." I said, using a slightly threatening tone

"O-Ok" Shikamaru answered, looking a bit surprised

"Ne, ne, Sakura-chan, who are you talking about?" he said, almost jumping from anticipation

"We were talking of that guy called _non-of-you-business_." I said while punching Naruto half way across Konoha

"Well, I'll be going now." I said, waving goodbye

"No, Sakura-chan, we can have ramen together!" Naruto said, running towards us with a few injuries

**Kakashi's POV**

I watched, amused, as Sakura's eyebrow twitched in response to Naruto's invitation, but there was something else there other than annoyance, there was anger, and it was mainly directed towards Naruto, but it didn't seem like it was his fault. As she turned around, her expression was completely different. She had a huge _fake_ smile on her face.

"Of course we can, Naruto, but you're buying" she said. That was weird. She always turned Naruto down

"Do you mind if we go with you?" I asked Naruto

"Actually, Kakashi, I can't go I have a thing" Shikamaru said

"Ah, right, I know exactly what that thing is." Sakura said, seeming playfully? "Seems like you didn't tell me exactly everything, or _did_ you?" she asked him. I should have seen it, it was a rhetorical question; it was just meant to make Shikamaru feel embarrassed and consequentially blush. Which he did

"Well, anyway, see you tomorrow." Shikamaru said, disappearing into the thin air

"So, seems like only I will be going with you two." I said, turning to face Sakura and Naruto, well, mainly Sakura

"Hurray, we can ask Sasuke-teme to come with us and it will be like a team-get-together!" Naruto said, enthusiastically. Right now, Sakura idea to murder him didn't seem so inappropriate

"Shouldn't we get going?" Sakura asked as I realized that she was standing right next to me

"Yes, we should" I said, turning around and towards Ichiraku, brushing my hand slightly against Sakura's as I did so

**Ichiraku Ramen**

**Sakura's POV**

Right now, I'm capable of killing Naruto as we were sitting in three of Ichiraku's stools, having dinner. When we were ordering, Naruto seemed to avoid every dish containing pork slices; guess is having nightmares about fighting pork slices again. Somethings never change

"It sure feels good to be back at Konoha, doesn't it, Kakashi-sensei?" Naruto asked, making me feel confused. Oh, right, they haven't landed foot in Konoha in two and a half years

"Yes, it does, Naruto" Kakashi siply answered as I smirked to myself. If he kept answering Naruto like that, he would soon be having to handle an angered Naruto

"What's so funny Sakura?" Naruto suddenly asked me.

"Oh, it's that I just saw a pig flying right over there" I said, pointing towards the sky outside of Ichiraku. As Naruto turned around to see what had catch my attention, me and Kakashi took a note of our pockets to pay for our meals, did a similar hand-sign and disappeared from the restaurant. Since I left, I would pay to see Naruto's face when he turned back to where we were supposed to be sitting to find no one in our seats

I materialized in the right end of the bridge where Team 7 used to gather while Kakashi materialized in the other end, also known as the left end of the bridge

"So, is it time to spar?" he asked me. In response, I simply nodded him, my face serious

"Let's begin then." He said, disappearing

**Kakashi's POV**

I was currently hiding under the bridge, my chakra concealed, just testing her skill. I _almost_ couldn't help a smile of satisfaction to cross my lips as her head appeared under the bridge, her long hair falling to the water and wetting the tips of it

"Hi there" she said. I smirked and disappeared again

I was now completely under water, watching her take of her cloak, weaponry belt and shoes of and diving into the water. I waved to her as she spotted me and took off again. The last thing I saw her doing before a submarine wave hit me was her face forming a frown almost followed by a victorious smile. Why was she smiling? Wait…there are no such things as waves underwater. _She_ did that. I spread my chakra on a tentative to find hers but was given nothing. She wasn't there, well, she wasn't in the water. She must have sensed my distraction and went back up to the river side, also known as solid ground. Oh, here I am, distracting myself again when it isn't the time for that. Better get back to the surface

'_There she is'_ I thought as I felt her presence on a tree branch high above me. She noticed that I noticed that she was there and that there was no point on staying there anymore, so she came down, standing in front of me, even though she was some good 20 feet away from me

"You're picking a little bit too much easy on me, aren't you?" she asked me, already knowing the answer

"Well, sorry for wanting to keep you out of harm's way." I said, representing _myself_ as the harm's way

"You could never be the harm's way to me." She said, staring right into my eye. She moved a little bit closer to me, approximately 5 feet, and moved her fingers almost imperceptibly. Almost, 'cause I was able to pick it up. I lifted my hatai-ate just in time to see an invisible amount of chakra-powered air flying towards me. I dodged just in time

I jumped back and did some hand signs for a water jutsu. A water dragon rose from the water charging at Sakura with an amazing speed. She simply reached out with her fingers together, her palm facing the dragon. As my water dragon collided with her hand, it divided in two, not even causing her hair to get wet.

"Let's make this interesting." She said "How about this: the looser does everything the winner wants for a week?" she asked me, placing a bet

"Deal" I said, disappearing again. The next moment, I was already behind her, relishing my fire ball jutsu. She dodged and appeared right above me, suspended in the air, her right fist closed and her arm reaching out in front of her. She was trying to punch me. I dodged to the right just as her right leg rose in the air and kicked me, making me fall into the water. I got out of the water silently, hided my chakra completely and reached behind her. Just as I was about to hug her, her hands grabbed mine and putted them around her

"How did you do that?" I asked her, not really realizing how she sensed me

"I just…knew" she said "Maybe you're losing your touch" she mocked me

"Oh, believe me, from where I'm standing, I believe I have plenty of touch" I said "And I won" I whispered in her ear

"You wished" she said, disappearing with a _poof_. Shadow clone. I can't believe I fell for that

I was still deep in thought when I felt a arm a around my neck and cold metal on my throat.

"I win" she whispered in my ear, letting me go

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><p>Hope you enjoyed! And remember, R&amp;R!<p> 


	8. Who would imagine?

So, here's another chapter, hope you enjoy!

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><p><strong>Chapter 8 – Who would imagine?<strong>

**The next day, 8:00 AM**

I was on my way to Team 7's regular training grounds for a 'training session'. Might as well call it a Chinese Torture. A whole day holding back while fighting against my ex-former teammates. Just as I was starting to mentally curse them, well, mostly Sasuke, Kyuro appeared on my side, his mask of and hanging on his belt

"I got a letter for you, Sakura. I think is from Soka." He said

"Hey, thanks" I said, taking the letter of his hands

"_Sakura:_

_I hope you're doing fine without us. We could be a little better. When we arrived at Hikari no Mura, we found the place devastated. Two Akatsuki members passed by, destroyed the village and exterminated the clan. I think their names were Tobi and Zetzu. They were looking for you. Don't think we hate you, because we know it's not your fault that those two Akatsuki members acted that way. We found a little girl who survived. She told us that when Zetzu asked Tobi why they were doing that, Tobi just answered that they were doing it to piss you off, causing you to come after them and then they would be able to capture you. I say it here and now, you will NOT go after them, otherwise I will go after you, get you back no matter what and give you the set-down of your life, even worse than the one I gave you when you pulled the bathtub prank on me. With this being said, I give you mine and the guy's fair-wells._

_Never forget about us,_

_Soka"_

My face was, at least, unreadable, even though I was pretty much starting to panic inside. Why wouldn't they let me go after them and avenge my clan? Why would the Akatsuki come after me? If my memory is working properly, I wasn't, am not and don't plan on having a Bijuu inside me. Then why would they want me, when they know that I'm _destined_ to bring peace to the world, even though I don't really like my destiny? I probably shouldn't think so much about it, given that I was already starting to feel a terrible migraine

"Sakura, are you alright?" Kyuro asked me

"I'm just fine, no need to worry." I reassured him, even if the way I was felling was far, far away from fine "Sorry Kyuro, but I really need to go, my team's waiting for me" I said

"It's alright." He said "Have a good training session" he wished me. Always thoughtful

"See ya" I said while running off into the woods and towards the training grounds

**Training grounds**

**Kakashi's POV**

"Hey guys" I heard Sakura's voice say from behind me

"I wonder how you were able to be later than me" I said

"Well, you know, I got lost in the path of life" she said with a playful smile, using my favorite excuse, but there was something there. Her eyes lacked the playful glint that her smile showed

"So, can we get to it?" Sasuke asked/demanded, clearly annoyed

"Of course" I answered him, turning from Sakura "Naruto and Sakura, you can spar together while I spar with Sasuke." I said, hearing a low growl from Sakura. She probably still thought that I gave more attention to Sasuke as a ninja than to her and Naruto. But she was wrong, because I've definitely learned my lesson "Only one more thing." I added "Use only Taijutsu" I said. Naruto moved to the left and into a clear space while Sakura did the same from behind me

"Sakura-chan, I'll go easy on you so you won't get hurt." Naruto said

"You are unlucky to fight me when I'm in such a bad mood. And to top it off, you are doubting my strength." Sakura said, smirking "You should know better than that. I wouldn't just concentrate on Ninjutsu due to my ability. I actually am gifted at both Taijutsu and Genjutsu. Even Kenjutsu. And the odds of you getting seriously hurt are bigger than the odds of me getting a scratch. Goodbye" she finally finished, disappearing in thin air

**Sakura's POV**

I appeared behind Naruto suspended in the air, my arm held out and my hand closed into a fist. Naruto realized my presence behind him and dodged to the left. So predictable. I hold out my left leg, kicking Naruto on the stomach and making him fly towards the trees. He charged at me without even taking the time to choose the adequate route. He really shouldn't underestimate me. I guess he'll have to learn the hard way.

As he was hitting me, I ducked to the side, grabbed Naruto's arm, swirled around myself and landed a chakra-powered palm in his back. He was instantly knocked out.

"I'm done here. See you tomorrow" I said. They almost immediately stopped sparing. Only if they took a little longer realizing my words, I could be out of there already

"What about Naruto?" Sasuke asked me

"He'll be knocked out for a few hours. Other than that, he'll be fine" I said, not really caring about Naruto's condition

"What did you do to him?" Sasuke asked, sounding truly scandalized

"I poured chakra to his nervous system, immobilizing his spinal cord and brainstem." I explained felling annoyed and wanting to get out of there

"Did you do much damage?" Kakashi asked, sounding concerned

"No, I didn't. Most of all because there wasn't really many things to damage. I'll be going now." I said, going into the woods

**5 minutes later**

There I was, standing in front of my house, searching for that damn key. How come that I always forget where I putted that damn thing? Good thing that I always kept a spear key under my front mat. Just as I was bending down to pick it up, I heard Ino's extremely annoying voice talking to me

"Hey there, Forehead Girl" she said, using my stupid nickname.

"Hi Ino" I said, being superior for not using her nickname, even though it really suited her

"So, I heard you were back at Team 7" she said. I almost knew where this was going and I didn't like it one bit

"Yes, I am. What about it?" I asked her

"You're on Sasuke-kun's team again" she said

"Yeah, and so what?" I asked her, getting even more annoyed

"Well, you know, I thought you could arrange for me to spend more time with him. Maybe convincing him that I'm the right girl for him?" she asked me with pleading eyes

"Forget it. Not gonna happen" I said, determinedly

"But WHY Sakura-chan?" she begged me

"First, because a friend of mine likes you and I will not contribute to his pain. And second, because I'm not _Sakura-chan_!" I said, finally expressing my anger and rage towards her and some other people "Oh, and I don't really think that Sasuke would like to _spend time_ with you. He would most likely think that he might have done something to God. And, even though he's a complete asshole, I do not which to see him in pain. I wouldn't want that even for my worst enemy" I completed, getting into my house

**The next day**

I woke up at three in the morning, not being able to sleep again. At 3:30 Am I got out of bed, took a shower, got dressed in my regular outfit and going to a training ground outside Konoha's walls. Until 5 o'clock I just worked on practicing my new jutsu, called _Airless Sphere_. It was simply a sphere filled with vacuum, also known as filled with no breathable air. It would knock out any enemy in seconds. It could come in really handy

Just as I was starting to train my kenjutsu, I felt a familiar chakra signature appear behind me. It was Uchiha Itachi's chakra signature

"Hi there" I said, turning around so I would be facing him

"I hope you aren't mad at me for the actions of Tobi and Zetzu" he said

"Isn't Tobi Madara?" I asked him, catching him by surprise

"How did you know?" he asked me, apparently confused

"If the Akatsuki was out to get me, you could've captured me when we fought. But you didn't. So, I came to conclusion that probably there were some troubles between the Akatsuki members. Take in consideration that I lost one night sleep over this" I explained

"You are correct." He said "Madara and Zetzu are out to get you and Naruto. Pein's plan was never to capture the Bijuus, that was Madara's plan from the start." He said

"Why didn't you stopped Madara?" I asked him

"Because he is very powerful, given that he has the ultimate Sharigan. He's after you for two reasons: the first and obvious one is to use you as a weapon; the second and also a little bit obvious is to prevent you from fulfilling your destiny." He explained to me

"I see. But you aren't here only to say that to me, are you?" I asked, seeing right trough him

"No, I'm not. I would like you to request to the Hokage for forgiveness. Forgiveness for me, Kisame, Deidara and Sasori." He said

"Seriously? You want to ask for the help of the person that set 14 people on your tails for the last two and a half years?" I asked him, getting only a nod from him "Who would imagine you'd be so desperate? Well, I'll do as you ask. I'll let you know latter" I said, the only response got from him was a little smirk and a cloud of smoke; he had teleported himself to somewhere preferably away from here

"What a messed up world" I said to myself while walking away and into Konoha

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><p>I hope you enjoyed! And remember, R&amp;R!<p> 


	9. Compassion

I'm so, so, sorry for the long, long delay. Sping break is over and I'm back to school. To compensate you, I wrote a super-duper long chapter! Hope you enjoy it!

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><p><strong>Chapter 9 – Compassion<strong>

"Enter" Tsunade's voice said as I knocked on her office door

"Hi, Tsunade-sama" I said while entering the room

"Sakura, hello. How can I help you?" she asked me

"I got a letter from Soka this morning. He wrote to report what happened when they arrived at Hikari no Mura. Tobi and Zetzu from the Akatsuki exterminated all of the Hikari Bunmei (Light Civilization) [AN: Tsunade dug a little during Sakura's training and found out the truth]. I wish to-" I half-said, being cut off by Tsunade when I was getting to the interesting part

"You won't go after them" she said, determined

"I don't wish to go after them. I wish to tell you about an interesting conversation I just had with Uchiha Itachi" I said

"Uchiha Itachi was in Konoha?" Tsunade asked, her eyes going wide

"No. He didn't cross the gates." I said "Anyway, he told me that Tobi is actually Madara and that he, Deidara, Kisame and Sasori, along with Pein and Konan, didn't wish to capture the Bijuus, Madara made them. He told me that they wish for your forgiveness and that they will take any punishment you deem them to." I said. Tsunade remained oddly silent while I was talking. After approximately 1 and a half minute I finished talking, Tsunade still hadn't answered, and I was getting worried

"You realize that the elders, because of _that_, will be all over me if I say yes, right?" she asked me, referring to the Uchiha massacre "And Sasuke will be mad at me too, right?" she asked again

"I believe that, with all due respect, you gotta take this one for the team" I said

"I believe so too. I'll assign each of them to be permanently watched by each one of the members of Team 7, which means that each of you will be stuck living with one of them" she said

"I think it's a great idea, unless, of course, you put Itachi living with Sasuke" I said, analytically

"You'll be in charge of Itachi, Kakashi will be in charge of Kisame, Naruto will be in charge of Deidara and Sasuke will be in charge of Sasori" she said, assigning each of us an S-ranked criminal "You mind telling the others?" she asked me

"I actually do. Naruto and Sasuke would be very mad at me, and if it's already hard to put up with them when they are behaving normally, I don't even want to imagine how much I would suffer while they were mad at me" I explained, while Tsunade smirked

"Call them here, then. You're dismissed" she said

"Goodbye, Tsunade-sama" I said, paying my farewells

**5 minutes later, Ichiraku Ramen**

"Morning, Naruto." I said when I arrived

"Mgnormnigng, Shalkural-schalni" Naruto said with his mouth full of noodles. I believe he meant: _'Morning, Sakura-chan'_

"Tsunade-sama requests your presence at her office" I told him

"Already? She must have a really important mission for me!" Naruto said, hope shining in his eyes

"You can put it that way" I said as I disappeared in a cloud of smoke

**Konoha training grounds**

"Uchiha, Tsunade wants to see you at her office" I said, a lot more coldly than the way I said it to Naruto

"Why-" he started as I simply vanished in the thin air

**Jounin Lounge**

"Kakashi-san?" I called out, capturing his attention. I couldn't call him only by his first name 'cause Kurenai and Asuma were in the Jounin Lounge as well

"What is it, Sakura-chan?" he asked, treating me formally too

"Tsunade-sama requests your presence in her office" I told him. As he was passing by me, he brushed his hand against mine and whispered only for me to hear:

"8 PM at the bridge" he said, sending shivers down my spine

**Hokage Tower**

**Kakashi's POV**

Me, Sasuke and Naruto reached the Hokage building at the exact same time

"Tsunade called you too?" I asked them, their answer being a simple nod

"I bet it's a super awesome mission?" Naruto said with is normal loud voice

"Then why isn't Sakura here too?" Sasuke asked. I had a feeling that, whatever it was that Tsunade wanted from us, Sakura already knew about it

"Let's just go inside" I said, starting to feel annoyed. As we knocked on the door, Tsunade ordered us in almost immediately

"Uchiha Itachi, Hoshigaki Kisame, Sasori and Deidara were forgiven by this village. They are going to be under each member of Team 7's watch. Kakashi will be in charge of Hoshigaki Kisame, Naruto will be in charge of Deidara and Sasuke will be in charge of Sasori. You're dismissed" she said, hurrying us out. Sasuke didn't budge

"What about my brother?" he asked her, no emotion showing in his face

"Uchiha Itachi will be under Sakura's watch" she simply said as me and Naruto grabbed each one of Sasuke's wrists and pulled him after us, forcing him to exit Tsunade's office. Even though I didn't show it, I really didn't like the idea of Sakura living with Itachi

**Sakura's POV**

"Itachi-san" I called out when I arrived at the woods outside Konoha, where I knew he would be waiting for me

"Hello" he politely said, coming out of the trees

"Your request as been granted, with the condition that each of you remain under each one of our watch" I explained

"What are the pairings?" he asked me, starting to seem interested

"Kakashi with Kisame, Naruto with Deidara, Sasuke with Sasori and you, being unlucky, will be stuck with me." I told him

"For me, there is nothing wrong with spending my time with such a beautiful and interesting young woman" he said, his expression softening

"Well, thank you" I said, bowing slightly, turning around and leaving

**8 PM, Team 7's bridge**

As I arrived at the bridge, I could see the whole place illuminated by candles. On the riverside, there was food on a towel. Kakashi planned a pic-nic. I didn't saw that one coming

"Hi" his voice came from behind me as he hugged me

"Hi" I said back, turning around in his embrace, pulling his mask down and kissing him slightly. "Aren't you worried that people might come here?" I asked him when we broke apart. He shook his head no

"I planted a jutsu that makes people remember that they have something else to do somewhere else" he explained

"Clever" I said, kissing him again.

"So, shall we eat?" he asked, letting me go

"Of course" I said and sat down beside him

We ate together and chatted about, well, everything; my training, his mission, recent events, and some other stuff. When we were finished, he walked me home, kissed me goodnight (after checking if no one was around) and took off to his own house. I slept like a baby that night

**The next day**

I woke up to the sound of three light knocks on the door. I got out of my bed and open the door while rubbing my eyes

"Seems like you're not a morning person" Itachi's voice said

"Good morning to you too" I said, still half asleep "Come on in" I said, stepping away from the door and opening a passage for him to walk in

"So this is where you live?" he asked me

"No, I live outside, I use the house only for decoration" I said, losing my temper

"I was just joking, no need to be rude" he said, clearly mocking me

"Sorry, I'm just not a morning person." I said "And you never saw me being rude. Pray to keep it that way" I completed as he smirked

"So, where can I put my stuff?" he asked me

"I have a guest room you can use. Follow me" I said and headed to a door opposite of the door of my room

"Here it is. Make yourself home" I said and turned around to my bedroom. As I was almost finishing closing my door, I heard his voice

"Hey, Sakura" he said as I turned around "Nice PJs" and with that I blushed furiously. My pajama consisted only of a tight black tank top and skinny red mid-thigh shorts. Feeling extremely embarrassed, I hurried myself into my room and shot the door. Then I got dressed in some black skinny jeans and a red tank top and went downstairs to make breakfast. Imagine my surprise when I came to the kitchen and found two plates filled with food standing on the table

"I figured I could do something to help" his voice said from behind me, as I picked my jaw from the floor. An Uchiha, doing something for a person other than himself? Is the world going to end right now?

"Thanks…I guess" I said, not really sure of what I was saying

"So, you want to eat or not?" he asked, breaking the awkward silence between the two of us

" Sure" I said, smiling a shy smile. We sat and ate in the silence. Afterwards, we just sat in my, excuse me, _our_ kitchen until I broke the silence

"So, what do you wanna do today?" I asked him, not really seeming interested

"Aren't you and your team training today?" he asked while looking slightly at me

"I highly doubt that. Tsunade wouldn't make us train so soon, she'll probably let things settle" I said, giving him a meaningful look

"So, it's because of that thing with my brother that you won't get to train today" he said, looking like he was apologizing

"Oh, it's not your fault; I actually didn't feel in a mood to train" I said, putting the matter aside

"Is it just that?" he asked, seeing right through me

"Well, actually and with all due respect, I don't really feel like looking at the asshole of your brother" I said in a rather relieved tone. At my words, Itachi just laughed as I smirked a little. Itachi was so different from his brother; it was a good change on the background. Suddenly there was a knock on the door, which I got up to answer

"Hi, Kyuuro!" I said as I opened the door

"Hi, Sakki" he greeted "Tsunade wants to see you and the Uchiha too" he said

"You know, I'm really starting think that we only see each other whenever Tsunade wants to see me!" I said, sounding falsely upset

"You know it's not like it" he said, petting my head. I shoved his hand away from me "I've just been really busy since I joined ANBU" he said "I have a hunch that you will be like me soon enough" he finished with a smile

"I wouldn't count on that" I said, smiling

"So, you do not intend to join ANBU?" Itachi asked from behind me, joining our conversation

"Not really. It's too much paperwork" I said "I've seen how Kakashi…sensei looks like after one simple C-ranked mission." I completed, making my excuse sound real. The true reason for me not wanting to join ANBU was mostly because I would have no time for Kakashi. You would think that it was because I would be placed in the Bingo Books, but seeing that I was in there for a long time, it really didn't bothered me that much

"Somethings never change." Kyuuro said with a casual smile "Well, anyway, you two should get going" he said

"You're right" I acknowledged "Itachi, let's go" I said, going out the front door

**Hokage Tower**

"So, you were called here too?" I asked the six other guys standing in front of the Hokage building

"Unfortunately, un!" Deidara's voice said "Me and Naruto here were having so much fun!" he whined

"I don't know how the Hokage put those two together" Sasuke said "Half of Konoha will go down in no time with those two sleeping under the same roof" he said

"Hi, brother" Itachi said from behind me

"Itachi" Sasuke said under his teeth

"Sasuke, control yourself" Kakashi said, stepping out of the shadows. I searched Sasuke's onyx eyes for killing intent but found nothing. But there was a lot of anger and rage there, though

"So, shouldn't we be with the Hokage by now?" Kisame's voice said "Kitten" he said, greeting me

"KITTEN?" came Naruto's, Kakashi's and Sasuke's voice, Kakashi's being strangely (or not) the loudest

"I hate when you call me that, Fish-Sticks" I said, cursing him in my mind

"Break it up, you two" Sasori said

"Nice to see you too, Match Head" I said, mocking his hair color

"You can't talk that much, can you Pinkie?" he asked me. Damn, he got me there. As an answer, I simply stuck out my tongue in his direction

"How-how do you know this people, Sakura-chan?" Naruto asked me, sounding serious for once

"Me and the guys fought him in the past. As it wasn't our mission to hurt them seriously or kill them, I had to heal them. We are good friends, actually" I explained

"What about when you fought my brother?" Sasuke asked me

"He was pretty much the only one in Akatsuki that I hadn't fought yet. But, with Tsunade's _punishment_, we will have to work it out I guess" I said, not really seeming interested, pulling out my book and starting to read it

"So, shall we go?" Sasori politely asked/demanded. As an answer, I simply turned to the Hokage building and started walking towards it **[AU: at this point, Sakura already passed the 'Pranks' chapter in her book; she is now in the chapter called ' how to make guys let go of your feet']**

'_Page 44_

_How to make guys let go of your feet:_

_There are some guys that have the ability of getting completely obsessed for a girl. The easiest way to make them "loose" their obsession is to pull a prank on them called "Cookies". It's really simple actually. You get the guy drunk or drugged, any of them will do, carry him to a hotel, motel (any will do) room, strip him and put lots, and I mean, LOTS, of cookies around him, take a few compromising pictures and display them in a very public place. They won't want to look at you for the rest of their life-'_

"Enter" Tsunade said as we entered her office

"What is it that you which from us, Tsunade-sama?" Kakashi said in a really, really soft voice that almost had me melted into a pile of goo

"All of you will go on a mission to the secret country Hidden by Magic" she said as my excitement grew bigger. I've heard of that country, well, read about it. By the relates, it was pretty, well, magical "Your mission is to take down a criminal organization, called Yoishi ('Good death') that is terrorizing the villagers" she said. Yoishi, you are going down. No one will mess with the villagers of such a lovely country without messing with me

"You leave in 30 minutes. You're dismissed" she said, hurrying us out

**30 minutes later**

29 minutes after our talk with Tsunade I was already arriving at the gates, along with Itachi. Kakashi and Kisame were already there, which was suspicious. I can't remember one single time when Kakashi was in time, even earlier, back when we were a team. Something was off

"Hey" I said when we got near them. Right after my words, Sasuke and Sasori came in the scene

"I guess Naruto is late, like always" Sasuke said in his 'I'm the king of the world' tone of voice. How annoying

"Yo! Sorry we're late" Naruto said while running towards us

"So, can we get going or what?" I said, my eyebrow twitching. Why do I have to be the only girl in the middle of 7 guys?

"Of course we can, kitten" Kisame said, turning around and started to walk towards the gates. I picked my pace and started to walk alongside him

**7 hours later**

We finally arrived at the country Hidden by Magic. By the time we got there, we had to burn every single map and paper with directions, since it was a secret country. The landscape was absolutely gorgeous. There were trees everywhere and I could spot a waterfall about a mile away from our position

"I wonder why a criminal organization would be called _Good Death_ (Yoishi)" Naruto asked to no one in particular

"Maybe because, even though they are a criminal organization that kills people, they aren't cruel. Maybe they don't let their victims suffer. Maybe their signature is the _coup de grace_ (mercy blow)" I said, seeming and being deep in thought

"Good point" Itachi said. By the look on Kakashi's face, Itachi said exactly what he was going to say

"Of course it's a good point, it's my point" I said, killing his vanity. Kakashi smirked at my words

"So, can we get to work or not?" Sasuke asked, visibly annoyed

"Of course" I answered him and we took off our separate ways

**1 minute and 25 seconds later**

I was already 7 miles away from our starting point and had found nothing. At the pace I was running, I soon would have too much of an area to cover for the enemy base. It was time to call the cavalry. I did a few hand signs and whispered the jutsu: "Shinwa no Yobidashi (Mythical Invocation)" automatically, a few burning butterflies appeared around me "Teki no eria o kensaku (search the area for enemies); chika mo (underground too)" I ordered as the butterflies immediately spread around, doing as I said. It was the best part of having the Hikari (light) abilities. We have the best summons. A few minutes later, the butterflies were back

"Watashtachi wa 15-mairu kita hanarete koko kara, dõkutsu o hakken shita. Sukunakutomo 20-ri no teki ga sonzai suru (we found a cave, 15 miles north away from here. There are at least 20 enemies)" they said. It was really odd that they only communicated in Japanese. Naruto's frogs or Kakashi's dogs could talk both English and Japanese, so it was really weird that my flaming butterflies were monolingual

"Arigatõ (thank you). Anata wa, shinpi-tekina mura ni modotte jiyudearu (you are free to go back to Mystic Village)" I said as they disappeared "Guys, their base is 15 miles north from my position. There are at least 20 enemies in there" I said in the intercom

"We're heading there" they all said in unison "Be careful, Sakura. Don't try to fight them alone" Kakashi's voice spoke in my hear

"Don't worry" I assured him

**3 minutes later**

I was lightly passing back and forward at the entrance of the enemies cave. The others were really taking too long to get there. It was only 15 miles, for God's sake! Of course that added to the 7 miles that I had previously traveled, they would have to travel a total of 22 miles, but that was piece of cake for ninjas, right?

"We're here" came Itachi's voice. He was leading the way, being followed closely by Kisame and Kakashi, Sasuke and Sasori right after them, Deidara and Naruto closing the line. In other words, the predictable succession

"Finally." I said "Let's get going" I ordered. I then proceeded into the cave, with Kakashi trailing right behind me, covering my back. As we walked further into the cave, an enemy appeared in front of me. I felt Kakashi going into a fighting stance as I simply raised my hand in the hair and snapped my fingers, turning the _enemy_ into a cloud of dust. I thought it would be more of a challenge. Well, everybody makes mistakes, right?

"Some more enemies are coming a little bit ahead of us. Maybe 6 or 7 more enemies" Sauke said an Itachi nodded in agreement

"Let's hurry up then" I said, leading the way. As we turned a corner, more enemies appeared, heavily armed, even though it was useless against us. As I saw a son-of-a-bitch shooting a full chart of machine gun bullets against Kakashi, I simply raised two fingers and made a swift movement to the right, turning the bullets back against the guy with the machine gun

"You're welcome" I said smirking and turning around to fight my own battle. What I saw froze me in place

"Toraburu (trouble)" I hissed as I recognized the person standing in front of me

"Nice to see you again, baby girl" he said, smiling the most despicable smile

"I never thought you would go down so low" I said, softly, my eyes closed

"Sakura, is everything okay?" Kakashi asked, appearing at my side

"Everything's just fine, Kakashi-sensei" I said as I thought about what I would do next, my eyes still closed

"Today is the day you're going down" I said, my voice still as soft as it could ever be "Aniki (brother)" I concluded, opening my eyelids and revealing my eyes, completely white. Toraburu's eyes were completely black. It was the main difference between the Hikari and Yami abilities: the dojutsu. Hikari users had the most powerful dojutsu, and that was the main reason for the almost inexistence of Hikari users; the Yami users, afraid of their power, hunted them down and killed almost all of them. The Hikari dojutsu could distinguish every one's chakra, immediately spot their weaknesses and do the jutsu that would finish them automatically. The Yami dojutsu could only distinguish different chakras and spot some weaknesses

"Are you sure you want to fight me, little sister?" he said "Are you sure you have the guts?" he asked, smirking

"Oh, my guts grew a lot stronger at the exact moment I walked in on you doing that" I said "Why?" I asked him, finally putting into words the question that had haunted my mind for so long

"Because, baby sister, you were always the first on everything. Whether it was on ninja abilities or in the love of the other people. Everybody saw you and loved you, but nobody loved and saw me. And I hate you for tha-" I cut him off at that point

"_I_ loved you. _I_ saw you. You didn't have to do that to those innocent people" I said, keeping my temper cool, even though I was boiling in anger inside

"And you think that that was enough for me? You think that the love and recognition of a foolish little girl were enough for me? You think that you are that important?" he said, losing his temper "you know, if I killed you right now, no one would miss you. No one cares about you. They only care that you are the _prophecy child_" he said, looking up and shaking his hands in a signal of disdain

"AND YOU THINK THAT I ASKED TO BE WHO I AM? THAT I LIKE IT? You don't know what it is like, to have the weight on your shoulders" I said "You know nothing" I finished, looking away from him

"Actually, little sister, I know everything" he said, smirking "You are destined to save the world, to be loved by everyone, while I'm destined to be a loser, a forgotten. It's my inescapable fate" he said

"DON'T TALK ABOUT _DESTINY _AND _INESCAPABLE FATE_! If you don't like your destiny, don't accept it. Instead, have the courage to change it in the way you want it to be" I said

"Yeah, you can really talk about that" he mocked me, as I smiled softly

"Actually, I am a role model" I said "When I first got to Hikari no Mura, our elders wanted to put me behind bars. They didn't understand my power and feared it. It took all of my friends to change their minds. When they tried to put me in a _safe house_, saying that I was too much of a valuable asset, mostly because of my _destiny_, I turned them down. I refuse to let my so called destiny interfere whit my ideal life. Every day since I discovered the truth about myself, I wished to be someone else. I wished to be you, because you could do everything you wanted with your life without having everyone telling you what to do and how to do it. You don't know the hell I've been living in" I said, finally letting out all of my frustration and anger

"You've been living in a hell, un? It served you well" he said and charged at me. I simply dodged, fighting an inner battle and keeping myself from entering fighting mode, or else it would be his doom.

**Kakashi's POV**

Me and the other guys had already finished off all of the bad guys and were currently staring at the scene unfolding on front of us. As the guy, apparently called Toraburu, charged towards Sakura, she only dodged, refusing to fight. For what I was able to pick up, the two of them were brother and sister, and apparently he had done something really bad

"Toraburu. Knock it off" she said, authority overflowing from her voice

"Why, little Sakura? Can't put up with me?" he asked, mocking her. Suddenly, she grabbed his arm (as he was holding it in front of him for a punch) twisted around herself and didthe same thing to him as he did to Naruto during our training, though it didn't had the same effect on that guy

"I taught you that one, remember?" he asked her as he was getting up

"Clearly" she simply answered as she charged at him for the first time. She had her hand held out in front of her, lighting gathering around her palm. As she was almost hitting him, he ducked and grabbed her ankle. She simply sent electricity down her leg and to his hands around her ankle, making him let go of her

"Seems like it's time to call my cavalry" he said, did a few hand signs and performed a summoning jutsu. Dozens of black knights, some riding horses, appeared around him

"Guys, go away now" she said, slightly turning towards us "I don't want you to see this" she finished, concentrating in the battle again

"We're not leaving you behind" I said, pulling her out of there along with me and the boys

"NO! LET ME GO!" she yelled, trying to release herself from my hold

"No" I said "You're coming with us now, and there's no discussion" I said. When she finally gave up, I loosened my hold on her a bit

"Are you okay?" I asked, looking her in the eyes

"I'm fine" she lied "We'll have to hide in the forest." She said

"Why?" Itachi asked, running alongside us

"'Cause he's going to hunt us down" she simply said

**3 hours later**

**Sakura's POV**

We were now setting camp on the side of a river. The sun was starting to set and it was beautiful. I was sitting on the riverside with my feet dangling in the water

"What happened in there?" kakashi asked me as he sat beside me

"That guy is my brother. A long time ago, I walked in on him experimenting in innocent little children. He was trying to insert my DNA in them, so he could have an _army_ and conquer the world" I said, dozing off a little

"Hey, guys we have no food" naruto said as his stomach started to rumble

"Who knows how to hunt?" I got up at Sasori's question without saying a word. I then went to my bag, took out a scroll and summoned the weapon it contained. It was an exquisite bow and arrow

"Me and Kakashi will go with you" Itachi said as he and Kakashi proceeded to follow me trough out the woods

"There's a deer just up ahead" Itachi informed me

**Kakashi's POV**

Me and Itachi trailed behind Sakura as trailed trough the woods, seeking for the deer. When she found it, she got on a tree, set her bow and arrow and shot

"I'm sorry, my friend. You had to die so I could live. Please forgive me" she said as she approached the deer, took out a kunai and ended the poor deer's misery

"You know, people say that the lonely heart is the best hunter" she said for no one in particular, while a lonely tear rolled down her cheek "I'm glad I'm not that much of a huntswoman" she said, looking at me

**Back at the campsite**

Me, Itachi and Sakura made our way towards the campsite. Itachi was carrying the deer and was walking in front of me and Sakura. We were walking side by side and holding hands, as I was trying to comfort her. I never knew that someone could show so much compassion for a living being as the one that Sakura showed during the hunt. It was actually confusing how she could be so remorseless towards human beings and then be do compassionate towards animals

"Animals are innocent creatures that haven't hurt anyone; unlike humans" she answered my unasked question "I don't know anyone else other from you that hasn't hurt another human being" she said. Oh my dear little Sakura, how wrong you are. I've hurt many people in my life "At least unintentionally" she concluded. Now, I wasn't sure if I had or not hurt people intentionally. I think I didn't. We were already at the camp site and the two of us were sitting in a tree branch, shielded from the others looks. Itachi had agreed to cover for us so I could cheer Sakura up

"Don't worry about that, just rest" I said

"Thank you" she said as she rested her head in my chest and slept

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><p>So, hope you enjoyed it! And remember, R&amp;R!<p> 


	10. Disclaimer & thanks

So, guys, this chapter is not going to be a part of the story it self, it's just a little message for my "friend". I'll update soon!

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><p>Dear <em>L<em>

I have 6 words for you: Don't like it, don't read it. Yes, I know that the story is very similar to the Fanfic "Elemental Queen" in the first chapters, and it only shows that I enjoyed that history. My story might be almost the same in the first chapters, but those were the departing point, 'cause from now on, I'm writing down what I imagine. You do not know what's going to happen and you do not know what's going on in my head. I do have imagination, and the only reason that I don't have more stories published is because my life doesn't consists only of this; I have school to attend, friends and family to spend time with and sport clubs which I have to attend every day in order to improve. But, if you're so interested, I am currently working on a story which I will publish when I'm done with this one. You see, I'm not the kind of person that gets tangled between many projects and doesn't finishes even one; I'm taking this one easy and getting experience at writing in English. I am Portuguese, and even though I write in a foreign language, you can hardly find mistakes in my chapters. For your knowledge, it's called learning process. I have the ending of this story completely figured out and it's going to be epic. So, before you go around talking about my story, have the decency to wait for the next chapters. You could also have the decency to review my history with an actual account; you see, your review would have so much more impact if you had actually have the guts to "show" you identity. And you wouldn't think any of this if you had read beyond chapter 1.

With love,

Iruviene-san

P.S.: My history is not a "crappy version of the story Elemental Queen" and the main reason for it is that I am not writing a version of that great story

P.P.S.: I don't really care about what you think of my story; I care about what the people who actually _read_ it think about it. I only did a whole chapter with my message for you because you were too much of a coward to review with your account

**Farewell to all my dear readers. I appreciate your reviews very much! A special thank you to:**

**Sabaku no Keiko**

**Jen**

**SanDavis687**

**Kashi-Cookie-Monster**

**TeamTHEFT**

**You're the best! I'll update as soon as I can. Your support means a lot to me!**

**If you are ItaSaku fans, there is this really great story called "Trouble for me". It's really awesome and I like it very much! I'm thinking about writing an ItaSaku fanfic too. What do you think?**


	11. The truth unrevealing

Tsunade's POV

I was doing paper work in my office when Shizune decided to show up.

"What took you so long?" I asked in a demanding tone

"Sorry, I got caught up in some stuff" she explained. I was pretty sure that 'some stuff' involved her, Genma and a bed

"Yeah, right. Anyway, I need some help with this crap" I explained "Apparently, Konohamaru's team ran into some kind of ninja cat or something like that" I said, confusion clearly showing in my eyes

"Sure thing, Tsunade-sama!" Shizune said

As she was doing as I asked, I saw doubt starting to shine in her eyes. She then proceeded to stare at me openly

"Yes?" I asked, impatience dripping of my voice like venom drips off from a snake's fangs

"I don't understand why you let Sakura go and train outside the village without putting up a fight" she said, clearly confused

"Her parents and I used to be the best of friends" I said "When they left Sakura to my care, I promised them that I would never deny her anything she wanted with all her heart" I explained

I didn't really want to share Sakura's personal history with Shizune, but I'd rather having her hearing it from me than from somebody else

"Well, it all started when her mother and I were 29. She was called Sakami. We were two of the best shinobi of our generation. It was Valentine's Day when Ryuu, Sakura's father, asked her out. They got along pretty well and…"

And on and on it went.

Sakura's POV

"Which way will you go?" I heard Itachi saying behind me as I silently stared ahead to the cross road

"Oh, sorry, Itachi-san, I didn't notice you there" I said

"Drop the '-san' Sakura" he said, moving closer to me "And quit stalling. Which way will you go?" he asked again, not so nicely this time

Confused, I took in my surroundings. I saw four paths, each leading to a different scenario. The path that I'd been staring attended up in a scenario where I could see Kakashi and I leaning over a cradle, with a destroyed Konoha as the background. To my right, I could see a scenario with me and the Akatsuki leaning over a half-destroyed Konoha with Konoha-nin's grave stones scattered all over the place, Kakashi's and the rest of Konoha 12's grave stones too. To my left there was a scenario where I could see the Konoha 12 (except for me) and Kakashi standing in front of a perfectly fine Konoha with mine and the Akatsuki's grave stones decorating it. The path behind me led to a scenario where there were some of the Akatsuki member's graves, including mine and Kakashi's, with a little girl leaning over them. The Konoha standing behind the graves and the little girl was more than fine. It was better than ever.

"How am I supposed to choose, when there is only one acceptable option?" I asked Itachi, indignity dripping off my voice

"What you consider as acceptable is relative. For you, only the extremes are reasonably acceptable. The mid-terms standing in the left and right paths are **not** acceptable, because nothing is absolutely right on them. The path you've been staring at is the temptation. The path behind you is what will truly make you happy-" he said before I cut him off

"I will be happy being dead, is that what you're saying?" I asked him in an accusing tone

"Do you really think you'd be happy knowing that Konoha was destroyed because of you?" he said, his eyebrows rising. I asked him the first thing that popped into my mind

"How do you know me so well?"

"I've known you for a long time" he simply answered. Now I got confused

"What do you mean that you've known me for…" I trailed off. I felt another chakra. You can't feel chakra while you're dreaming unless … it's a Sharingan induced dream. I poured chakra to my hands and joined them "KAI!" I woke up in my bed as soon as I broke the genjutsu

"YOU SNEAKY LITTLE BASTARD" I yelled to Itachi as I got up. He was soon jumping out the window and away from me. If he thought I would let him get away with this he was terribly wrong. You wanna play, Itachi? Let's play.

"One way or another, Itachi, I'm gonna find you! There's no point on hiding!" I called out to the night, tough I knew he would hear it. My voice had an amazing range. I was scanning the ground when a voice sounded behind me

"Sakura, what are you doing out so late?" of course it had to be Kakashi

"That son of a bitch should thank you" I whispered, trying to keep my temper

"Sakura, what are you talking about?" he asked me, grabbing my shoulders to make me focus on him

"Itachi used his Sharingan on me, so I was trying to kill him when you arrived. Therefore, he owes you his life. You should make him do all sorts of things for you…" I explained, more to myself than to him, trailing off a little bit

"What do you mean he used his Sharingan on you?" he asked yet again, trying to make sense of what I was saying

"I had a Sharingan induced dream. When I woke up he still had his Sharingan activated, so there wasn't much room for miss-interpretations." I explained, completely calm now

"What did he make you dream about?" Kakashi asked me; again. I was getting a little tired of his questioning. This time tough, anger flashed through his eyes

"She dreamed about her future" Itachi's voice said from behind us

"And how could I do that?" I ironically asked

"We all live in some sort of time line." He started "When we are faced with a moment of decision, several paths emerge, each one leading to a different outcome. So, when we make our decision-"

"All of the other paths will be lost. Erased. Only one will prevail." I completed for him "I have a brain" I said, answering to Kakashi's questioning look.

"How come you do not look surprised, Itachi?" Kakashi asked him

"And most importantly, how do you know the outcome of all of those paths?" I asked him right after Kakashi

"The Sharingan can foresee some of the outcomes based on your current situation. I'm sorry to announce that I cannot predict what will happen in the meantime." He said

"So, it's possible that the same decision can lead to more than one outcome. That's why you wanted me to choose. So I can make the right calls when the time comes." I said, more to myself than to anyone else

"Exactly" he said. "And to answer your earlier question, let's just say that I'll take you somewhere that will make you remember" he completed. I didn't push it further 'cause I knew he wouldn't give up anything else. And of course that Kakashi pushed it for me. He's so sweet

"Where are you taking her?" he asked him with suspicion, stepping in front of me in a shield kind of way

"You should come too. She'll need your support. After all, she's with you. That has to count for something." He said, a smirk appearing in lips as he spoke

"I didn't tell him anything, I swear." I told Kakashi, placing my hand on his right shoulder

He turned his head towards me slightly "I know" was all he said before turning back to Itachi

"What are you gonna do with this information?" he asked Itachi something I'd been asking to myself

"Nothing. If my girl's happy, I'm happy" he simply answered. _Wait, what?_

"Wha-" I was about to translate my thoughts into words when he disappeared into hundreds of crows

"That was confusing" Kakashi said, turning around and placing his hands on my waist. I grabbed his hand and pulled him to an empty alley, where I proceeded to wrap my arms around his neck, bringing my body closer to his and kissing him. He, on the other hand, let his arms snake even tighter around my waist, "gluing" my body to his. To soon we had to break the kiss due to lack of oxygen. Damn you, oxygen!

"What are _you_ doing out so late?" it was me who talked now

"Just clearing my head" he answered. He then started to talk again "You know Sakura, you never told me where you and Irashi disappeared to or what you were doing that day you destroyed the florest." He said

"Oh, that? We have a little competition. There's a huge waterfall near that place, so every time we pass that place, we dive in the waterfall, swim to the shore and the climb the cliff near it. The first to throw the other over the cliff wins." I explained

"And who won?" he asked me

I chuckled. "I did, of course. How can you even ask that?" I said, faking indignation

He chuckled too. "Well, I'm sorry, I wasn't aware that my girlfriend liked to throw people over cliffs." He answered

"So, I'm your girlfriend?" I asked, raising my eyebrows

"Not officially. Officially, I'm single. But in my heart, you're my one and only" he said, whispering that last part in my ear, which made me shiver slightly. He noticed it and chuckled in my ear

"Get a hold of yourself, Hatake. Didn't it occur to you that I might be cold?" I said, pulling away from him to make my point

Kakashi looked like someone just thrown a bucket of water to his face. He took out his jacket and in a fraction of a second he was already placing the jacket over my shoulders. I chose not to object because I knew he would be mad for not understanding that I was joking. In other words, he would be mad for being a gentleman. Ah, men... I'll never understand them!

"So, what do we do now?" he asked him. As a reaction to his question, I simply smirked

Kakashi's POV

I was kinda terrified when I saw that smirk on Sakura's face. It's not every day you get to see cool, collected Haruno Sakura showing that much emotion, so it startled me. She was up to something

"I want to take you to a place. A special one" she simply said as she started to walk away and onto the rooftops. I, of course, was quick to follow. We ran through the rooftops of Konohagakure until we reached the Hokage Tower. I was confused. How come the Tower is a special place for her? I was so deep in that I almost didn't notice her going even further, towards the Hokage Monument. Now, that was quite the special place. When I reached the top, Sakura was already there, watching the town with the most relaxed look I've ever seen on her face.

"During my childhood, people stared at me, making fun of me. They made me feel unwanted, undesired. Yet, I've always considered Konoha my home. Not because of the people, oh my, no. Konoha's my home because of the memories. That slightly burned area, over there, was where I lost control of my temper, the first time I ever bended an element; it was where I discovered my true potential." She said "And that bridge was where I met two really good friends; you and Naruto." She said, turning slightly towards me with a smile. It was good to finally see that side of her, the side that wasn't afraid to show emotions. "Actually, I think you might be a little bit more than a good friend." She said, smiling brighter and with a little playful glint. Oh, you're on, Sakura!

"Might be? _Might be?_ Is that all you have to say about me?" I said, moving closer to her. "Last time I checked, you don't stick your tongue inside the mouth of someone who _might be_ a little bit more than a good friend, now, do we?" I said, turning her around, so she was completely facing me, wrapping one of my arms around her waist and my other arm around her lower back. By doing that, I "glued" her body to mine. With a, if I may say, seductive smile, I brought my head down towards hers and kissed her.

Sakura's POV

The kiss Kakashi and I shared was simply perfect. I remember that I was being held up only by his arms (since my legs turned into jelly), when I felt Kakashi's tongue slightly grazing my lower lip. I parted my lips a little bit to give him…"access", and he didn't waste any time. I moaned slightly into his lips as I felt his tongue search every bit of my mouth. God, that felt good! I can't remember Maiiri ever making me feel like this- well, lets not think about that. Nothing good ever comes out of trashing the dead.

After that "little" kiss, Kakashi and I sat side by side at the top of the Hokage Monument. I leaned my head on his shoulder and he put his arm around me, so that my back was on his chest. I blushed as I felt his abs contracting under my back. Kakashi planted a kiss to my head and placed his chin on top of it. I let myself relax even further and welcome the sleep I very much needed.


	12. Trouble in paradise

****Hey guys! So, here's another chapter! Sorry for not updating "often", I had school, and then I had to study for my finals, and then I had a huge writer's block...you can imagine! I promised I'll update more often from now on! Anyway, enjoy the chapter!

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><p><strong>Kakashi's POV<strong>

Sakura and I sat together for a little longer until I realized she was asleep. I gently picked her up and started jumping from rooftop to rooftop, making my way to her house. When I got there I noticed that her bedroom window was open, so I entered her room with Sakura still in my arms. I placed her in her bed, literally tucked her in and started to make my way to the window when I heard her talk

"Don't leave" she said. I turned around to see if she was actually awake and she was. Her eyes were completely open and looking at me. I smiled slightly and made my way back to her bed. Once there, I sat near her feet and leaned my back on the wall. She smiled at me, turned her back against the wall and slept.

**Sakura's POV**

I was awakened by the sound of someone knocking on my door. I opened my eyes and found Kakashi sleeping with his head resting on my thigh. I gently moved his head onto the mattress, got up and slightly opened the door

"What are you doing here?" I asked when I saw Naruto standing on the door way

"Good morning to you too, Sakura-chan!" he said, surprisingly excited

"Sorry, Naruto, I'm not a morning person" I said. _Especially when I'm awakened by some idiot bashing on my door_, I completed mentally. I didn't say it out loud because there was no need to be mean to him.

"Get dressed, Sakura-chan , we have a mission!" he said. _Great, a mission_. Just what I needed today.

"You need to be at the Hokage Tower in 20 minutes. I'm gonna go wake up Kakashi-sensei now. Datteba-" he started saying before I cut him off

"There's no need to do that. Don't worry I'll wake up Kakashi-sensei" I said with a smile

"Seriously? You don't mind?" he asked me, a little bit surprised by my offer

"Of course not, Naruto" I answered. It was with great effort that I didn't add: _since his sleeping in my bedroom_

"Well, thank you, Sakura-chan. See ya" he said and disappeared in a cloud of smoke. I made my way back to my bed room and found Kakashi sleeping in the exact same place where I left him, only his hands were placed together under his head and his legs were bent. Who would've guessed that he was one of Konoha's best?

"Kakashi, wake up." I said, slightly shaking him

"Hhmmm" he said, wrapping one arm around my waist and pulling me to the bed, still keeping his eyes closed

"C'mon, Kakashi, we have a mission" I said, placing one hand on his shoulder and pushing away from him.

"Why?" he asked me, pulling me closer to him with chakra-enhanced strength

"How the hell should I know?" I said, pushing back again. He used even more strength to pull me closer again

"C'mon, Kakashi! If we don't show up at the Hokage Tower in 18 minutes, they'll come looking for us. And guess what they'll find?" I said. At this, he finally gave in and let go of me

"Alright, then." He said, opening his eyes and getting up. "I'll go home and change. See ya in 18 minutes and 50 seconds" he completed, making his way to the window without even a goodbye kiss

"Kakashi, wait!" I said, getting a hold of his wrist

"Are you mad at me?" I asked him. He didn't even turn around

"Why would I be?" he answered/asked me, pumping chakra to his wrist and breaking free of my hold. He then disappeared in a puff of smoke. _What did I do wrong?_

Wiping my mind of any thoughts, I entered business mode. I automatically got dressed in my regular ninja attire, which consisted of a long-sleeved fish net top under a black tank top with ninja shorts and a sleeveless black cloak that I usually wore open. To top it off, I added my katana to my back, yet I placed it under my cloak, so it was hidden by the cloak. When I finished I went downstairs, grabbed a nectarine and rushed out of the house, through the rooftops of Konohagakure and into the Hokage Tower. When I got there, the door to Tsunade's office was wide open and some of the others were already there. I entered and said hello to everyone, settling over one of Tsunade's office corners and thinking about this morning's events

The others arrived shortly after, but I was too deep in thought to pay them any attention

"Good morning to everyone" a voice said. Kakashi's voice. Now I paid attention. I brought my head up and smiled at him, but he only turned away. A small frown replaced my smile and, of course, Itachi noticed

"Kakashi, can I have a word?" he asked him. Kakashi just nodded and followed him out of the room. Just as they were about to "vanish", Itachi turned around

"I'll kill anyone who follows us" he said before turning around and getting out of my sight

**Kakashi's POV**

Itachi and I kept on going until we exited the Hokage Tower by the back door and kept on going even further, passing the Hokage Monument and jumping over Konoha's wall. I was really curious about this whole thing with Itachi. Now, imagine my surprise when he suddenly turned around and punched me **right in the face!**

"What the hell?" I asked him as I backed away from him, getting into a fighting stance

"What did you do to Sakura?" he asked me, launching forward and trying to hit me again. This time though, I was ready and I ducked to the right

"Nothing! I did nothing to her!" I answered

"Oh yeah? So why is she unhappy?" he asked, trying to land another hit. I simply dodged, refusing to fight him

"She's unhappy?" I answered/asked, stopping on my tracks, which gave Itachi the opportunity to catch a hold of my neck. He then held me up in the air (by my neck) and pressed me against a tree

"Yes, she is. What happened this morning?" he asked me, his Sharingan activating

"This morning, she joked about something that made me think things over." I managed to choke out "Maybe, us being together isn't the best of the ideas" I finally said, felling like someone had just removed an enormous weight off my chest

"Let him go, Itachi, or I swear to God I'll kill you" Sakura's voice said as she stepped out of the shadows

"You wouldn't. You don't believe in God." Itachi said, still looking at me with hatred in his eyes

"Oh yeah? Try me" Sakura simply said, reaching for her kunai pocket and taking out a single kunai. At the sound of that, Itachi let go of my neck and turned to Sakura

"I'll be leaving now. You two try to work things out. Never forget that I know where you live" he said and then vanished

"Sakura-" I started saying until she stopped me

"I get it, Kakashi. I won't force you to be with me. Congratulations, you are now fully single" she said as she turned around and started to walk away. I wouldn't let that happen. I raced towards her, caught a hold of her wrist and turned her around. I wrapped my arms around her and pulled her close to my own body. Then, I lowered my face towards hers and gave her the most passionate kiss I ever gave anyone in my life. I did all of this in a matter of seconds, so she didn't have any time to fight back, which was exactly what I wanted.

"Look me in the eyes and tell me you don't want to be with me" I told her. She slowly raised her head and her eyes met mine

"I don't want to be with you" she said. I couldn't believe what I was hearing. Her face was completely blank and her eyes didn't give away anything, so I couldn't determine whether she meant it or no. before I could say anything, she turned around and walked away

"See ya, Kakashi-sensei" was the last thing I heard her say before the pain in my chest started

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><p>So, I hope you all enjoyed the chapter! See ya next chapter! And remember, R&amp;R!<p>

iruviene-san


	13. Too tired for sorrow

**Guys, I'm sorry I haven't updated in _such a long time_. I had the largest writer's block in history, and then I had school, and then I had health issues...I'm really really sorry. I promise I'll update _a lot _more often. **

**Enjoy the chapter!**

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><p>Normal POV<p>

It was a sunny yet particularly damp day in Konoha when Sakura and her current comrades returned from their mission. The said mission went smoothly, without casualties (well, except for the enemy ninjas, of course). Sakura and Naruto were getting along just like they did in the olden days; Sasuke was starting to become less of a douche; all of the Akatsuki members were becoming a bit more talkactive and Kakashi was absolutely quiet.

When they got to the Hokage tower, Sakura, Kakashi and Itachi went inside the Hokage's office to "do" the mission report (off the record; the written official report would be turned in later).

Naruto then proceed to try to convince everyone to join him for lunch at Ichiraku's.

Sakura's POV

"No" I said as Naruto kept trying to convince me (in other words, nagging me into it) to go to lunch with him and the rest of the guys.

"But why, Sakura-chan?!" he asked, going down on his knees in front of me. My sweat dropped

"Because Tsunade-sama asked me to take the night shift at the hospital. I need to sleep." I answered him. He looked disappointed but at least seemed to understand. Well, that's an improvement.

I said my goodbyes to the guys and went home to get some blissful sleep.

Kakashi's POV

It had been a few hours since we had returned to the village. Honestly, I was still in shock. Sakura broke up with me. _She broke up with me._ How am I supposed to come to terms with that? I'm not doing that. I'm going to talk to her right now. It is a bit late (like, 3 am kind of late) but I'm going to talk to her anyway. Yeah. That's it. We're gonna put this all in clean dishes.

Sakura's POV

Finally I was done at the hospital. How is it possible for so many ANBU to get injured in single-assassination missions? Are they that weak? God.

Slowly yet steadily, I dragged myself through the streets of Konoha at freaking _3 in the morning_. How, I ask, how is it possible for one to have such a heavy work load that a shift that would normally end at midnight ended _five freaking minutes ago?_ How?

Suddenly, a familiar presence crossed the street corner. Kakashi. Figures.

No way I'm dealing with him right now. I'm too tired. I'm so _so_ tired. I just wanna go to sleep.

And go to sleep I did. I was seeing black and almost hitting the ground, but a pair of strong arms caught me before I did.

And that's the last thing I remember before I completely black out.

Kakashi's POV

Just my luck. I manage to find Sakura in no time and just as she sees me, she faints. Either I messed up big time or I am really, extremely, ruggedly handsome. I'm guessing the last option is out of the question. Sakura is in no way shy.

I picked her up bridal style and started to carry her towards her apartment.

When I got there, I put Sakura on her bed and took of her shoes. Just as I was tucking her in, she woke up; sort of.

"Kakashi…I'm sorry." She said, sleep in her voice. "I can't hurt you anymore." She then pulled my shirt so I would lean on her and she kissed me. Through that kiss, she told me everything I needed to know.

We were done. At least for now.

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><p><strong>I hope you guys enjoyed! Don't worry, it's not the end for Sakura and Kakashi's relationship. In fact, it's just getting started ;) So, I was wondering if you want me to write a chapter describing and detailing the first time they'll sleep toghether-please, tell me what you think about this on your reviews!<strong>

**Thank you guys! Please review!**

**iruviene-san**

And that kiss would be the last intimate contact I wold have with her in years.


	14. Too much time gone by

**OMG! A miracle has happened! I have updated this story whitin less than a month from my last update! The world must be about to end!**

**So, sorry for that, eheh. Here's another chapter, straight out of my notebook. I'm portuguese and I live in Portugal (real though one to guess, right?) and I have Portuguese as a class and I actually wrote this chapter in that class. Boredness is an incredible thing! **

**To make up to you, my lovely readers, I am already working on the next chapter (yes, I did start it during Portuguese class) and it's gonna have NejiSaku in it. I'm sorry if you don't like/ship that couple, but they'll only be a couple for 3 or 4 more chapters. And also, things are heating up. Turns out that Sakura is not that sexually awkward after all ;)**

**Now, on with the chapter!**

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><p>Normal POV<p>

Konohagakure. The village hidden in the leaf. Currently in a state of peace. Well, at least most of the time.

"YOU OBNOXIOUS LITTLE IDIOT!" a certain pink haired kunoichi proclaimed while chasing the said 'obnoxious little idiot' down the main street of Konoha. And that same idiot was running for his life with the most terrified of looks plastered on his face.

"I'm so sorry Sakura-chan, please forgive me" he said, never ceasing his run. "I DON'T WANT TO DIE!" well, this scene is more like the old days. How much time has passed anyway?

Let us find out, shall we?

Kakashi's POV

3 years. 3 _freaking _years. And I had to spend them on missions with _her_. I'm not exactly complaining, I mean, I love seeing her fight, she never ceases to amaze me, but not being able to touch her, to truly be with her (AN: not in a sexual way guys-that will come later), it just tears me apart.

Her relationships with Naruto and Sasuke have improved greatly. Everything's pretty much back to normal, except for that little part where Sakura like Sasuke. She's over him now. At least I think (and hope) so.

"Alright Naruto, I won't kill you…Today" she said with a wicked smile on her face. "But ramen is on you for the rest of the month!" she completed.

"Anything you want Sakura-chan!" Naruto said, moving to Sakura's side and putting an arm around her shoulders.

Let's go have after-mission ramen, ok?" Naruto proposed. Sakura nodded her head, Sasuke just rolled his eyes (but went with them anyways) and I wrinkled my one visible eye. Then, just as a happy family, we all headed to Ichiraku's.

Shikamaru's POV

Ah, what a drag. Why did I have to fall in love with Ino? Why did Sakura help me? I mean, I appreciate it and all, she's one of the kindest persons I know, but having Ino as a girlfriend is a pain in everyone's butt. Speaking of Sakura, there she is! And of course, Ino is already dragging me towards her and her team.

"SAKURA!" she shouted right in the middle of the street, jumping on the pinkette.

"For God's sake, Ino-pig, get off of me" Sakura shrieked. Quite gracefully, considering the situation.

"Aw, come on forehead girl, don't be so mean!" Ino whined, pouting. God, why is she so freaking adorable?

"Freaking idiot" Sakura muttered under her breath. I don't think anyone else heard.

"Hurry up, I'm hungry!" Naruto yelled from a bit further down the street.

"We're going to Ichiraku's for lunch." Sakura informed us. "Do you guys want to join us?" she asked. I'd rather not go with them, but Ino, well, that's another story.

"Of course we want to!" Ino said gleefully, letting go of me and clinging onto Sakura's arm. "We have so much stuff to catch up on!" she completed. I saw Sakura grimace and then she looked at me pleadingly. Sorry Saks, you're on your own.

Kakashi's POV

Poor little Sakura. Her state of annoyance (caused by Ino) was more than noticeable.

"So, Sakura, what do you think of your new assistant in the hospital?" Ino asked Sakura.

"I have a new assistant?" Sakura repeated, staring at Ino a bit wide-eyed. "Hmm, I didn't notice." She completed with a shrug.

Ino shrieked. "How could you not notice him? He's one of the hottest guys in Konoha!"

"It's a guy?" Sakura asked, her eyes now completely wide.

"Yes! And he's been hitting on you ever since he started working for you!" Ino shrieked again, completely outraged by Sakura's obliviousness.

"So, that's why it repeatedly offered to bring some documents to my flat in the middle of the night?! I did find that a bit strange." Sakura said, more to herself than to anyone else. Wait, the guy's hitting on Sakura? He's in for the beating of his life time.

"Sakura, Ino, sit" Naruto said, tugging on Sakura's shirt, urging her to sit down.

After the girls were seated, we ordered our food. While we were waiting, we basically talked about missions. Team Asuma had been on an "interesting" mission a while back and we absolutely had to hear all about it.

"Itadakimasu!" Naruto yelled before diving into his ramen. Sakura slapped him on the back of the head for yelling in the middle of the restaurant. Then, she started to eat her own ramen, although not as…eagerly as Naruto.

"So, Sakura, how's Neji?" Ino asked suddenly. Upon hearing her question, Sakura nearly chocked on her food. Well, that's weird.

"How am I supposed to be aware of Neji's current state?" Sakura countered. Well, something's definitely up. Sakura only uses 'fancy' words when she's trying to get out of something.

"I think you know exactly why." Ino responded, a knowing look plastered on her face.

"Why don't you enlighten me, Ino?" Sakura hissed, her anger showing through.

"Well, you see, I talked to Tenten earlier today. Did she or did she not see you and Neji kissing on the training grounds two days ago?" Ino proclaimed, crossing her arms over her chest with a smug look on her face.

"She did not." Sakura simply said.

"Oh really?" Ino countered, smug look still on her face.

"Really. She might have seen me kicking his butt, but she most certainly did not see us kiss, as we did not engage in any activities of the likes, as far as I remember." Sakura said, rendering Ino speechless (at least for a while).

"He has a rather nice butt to kick, does he not?" Ino asked, malicious glint in her eyes.

"Indeed he has." Sakura answered. When she realized what she had said, her eyes widened a bit, hoping no one had noticed the meaning behind her words, but she quickly regained control of her facial expression,

As for me, so such control was in due. If it wasn't for my mask, everyone would have been able to visualize the dumbfounded look plastered on my face. Sakura likes Neji. _Sakura likes Neji?! _Holy crap!

And just to put the cherry on top of the cake, here comes Neji! Oh, the absolute joy!

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><p><strong>So, I hope you guys enjoyed this chapter!<br>**

**Don't forget to review! (and keep giving me feedback on wether or not I should right a chapter "detailing" the first time Sakura and Kakashi will sleep together)**

**Thank you!**


	15. Carry on the Holy Crap!

**Hey, you guys! I know it's been kind of a long while, but you see, I had 3 midterms while having all of the load of general exams and it's really really tiring! But tomorrow I'm gonna do my last midterm and then I have to more exams and then I'm free! At last. **

**Anyways, I hope you enjoy this new chapter!**

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><p><strong>Sakura's POV<strong>

It has been 2 days since the whole Ichiraku's fiasco. Right now, I'm at my apartment, "hanging out" with Neji.

"So, how did Kakashi take it?" Neji asked me.

"Take what?" I asked, since I was a bit confused by his question.

"Knowing that you like me. Was he mad?" he clarified.

"He wasn't mad" I answered. "Why would he be mad?" I asked, looking even more confused.

"Well, since you had that….thing with him in the past, I thought he might still be hung up on you" he answered, looking down as he did so.

I walked towards the couch he was sitting on and sat down next to him.

"Is that why you're always so…stressed whenever I have to go on missions?" I asked him. He just raised his eyes to look at me, not answering my question, although that was enough of an answer.

Then I placed my hand on his shoulder. "I'm not going back to him. Ever. Don't worry about it, ok?" I told him sweetly. As an answer, Neji just gave me a small smile. Then, I kissed him. He wrapped his arms around my waist, deepening the kiss. Before I knew it, Neji had pulled me onto his lap and had moved his left hand to my right thigh while his right hand rested at the small of my back. A make out session was in order.

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><p><strong>Kakashi's POV<strong>

5:09 pm

Sakura's late. 9 minutes late. We had agreed to have a team's training session at five o'clock in the afternoon. Where the hell is she?

"Hey guys, sorry I'm late" Sakura said, coming out of nowhere."

"That's alright, Sakura-chan!" Naruto said cheerfully. I honestly don't understand how one person can have so much energy.

"So, what are we doing today, Captain?" Sakura asked, her back turned to me.

"Well, I thought I could let you guys choose today!" I answered, wrinkling my one visible eye.

"Well, Sakura, I thought maybe you could teach us how to do the thing you do with the elements" Sasuke said, quite eloquently if you ask me.

"You must be out of your mind" I replied calmly

"Oh, why don't you want to teach us, Sakura-chan?!" Oh, the ever-annoying Naruto!

"Because I can't, potato head" I said. "It's a kekkey genkai, like the Shadow Jutsu that Shikamaru does. It can't be taught. And you should know that, Sasuke" I explained, turning to look at Sasuke.

"Oooohhh. That sort of makes sense." Naruto said.

Suddendly, a very uneasy feeling overcame me. "But of course it makes sense, otherwise I wouldn't be depicting it like it's a fucking religion" I said. Soon enough, I realized what I had actually said, and quickly turned around to face my captain.

"I-I apologize, I do not know what overcame m-" I suddenly got cut off by 2 figures making their way out of the bushes. They were Itachi and Kisame.

"Sorry to interrupt." Fishy said. "But we kinda have a situation at hands."

"Such as?" The smooth voice of my captain proclaimed.

"That's classified." Itachi answered. "Sakura, your habilities are required." And with that, they disappeared in a cloud of smoke, leaving me to muster on the reasons of the summoning of my person.

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><p><strong>I hope you all enjoyed the chapter! And don't forget to leave your feedback on your reviews! Thanks!<strong>

**~iruviene-san**


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